Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 73. (Budapest 1981)
Szujkó-Lacza, J.: Revision of three Astragalus taxa (Leguminosae) and their cenological relations
The size of the seed/species in mean value in mm 3 may be classified in an increasing sort. The less x value has the A. exscapus 1.161 mm 3 , from this the minimum value is 0.587 and the maximum one is 1.950 mm 3 . The A. e. var. caulifer is standing in the middle of the two other taxon. The Jc is 1.591, the minimum is 0.760 and the maximum is 4.459 mm 3 . In A. dasyanthus x = 1.715 mm 3 , the minimum is 0.794 and the maximum is 3.511 mm 3 . More variable in size the A. e. var. caulifer see in Table 2 and Fig 2. The variance analysis of the quantitative characters resulted the next: The arithmetic mean of characters with their P = 95% confidence interval (Table 2, Fig. 3a) shows the length of petiole per leaf lamina (Char. 1) significantly differ in the Astragalus dasyanthus from the A. exscapus and the variety of it. But, in the date of the A. exscapus and A. e. var. caulifer are scattered in a large amplitude. In character No. 2 (width of leaf lamina per length of it) the A. dasyanthus is significantly higher that of the A. e. var. caulifer (Fig. 3b); in character No. 3 (length of calix per corolla) has no significant differences among the three taxa (Fig. 3c); in character No 4 (size of seed in mm 3 ) the A. exscapus and A. dasyanthus differ significantly from each other but the size of seeds of the A. e. var. caulifer overlap both other species (Fig. 3d). Out of the investigated four characters some has large variability refering to the three taxa. Consequently, the clusters of the attributes —characters—grouped the species I can not interpret. After to the taxonomical revision of the three Astragalus taxa, in the following steps I decided to calrify the fidelity or affinity of the A. exscapus and A. e. var. caulifer to the other species and communities in Hungary and in Czechoslovakia. Moreover, by this indirect way I cast light on the role of this community or communities in the micro-evolution process in the formation of a pedunculate variety of the Astragalus exscapus. Astragalo-Festucetum rupicolae danubiale According to the literature Soó (1973) this "community" in sensu lato meaning was first metioned by MAGYAR (1933) as Festuca sulcata ass. and later on in 1950 as Festuca pseudovina and Festuca sulcata ass. In this "community" description there are not reported any Astragalus species until 1961 when MAGYAR (1. c.) reported the next list: Astragalus exscapus, A. asper, Festuca stricta var. hungarica, Pulsatilla nigricans, A. austriacus, Daphne cnoerum (?), Seseli hipomaratum, Centaurea sadleriana, Onosma arenaria, Inula salicina var. denticulata, Achillea kitaibeliana, Gypsophyla arenaria, Secale silvestre, etc.. — HARGITAI (1940) reported two Astragalus species, A. glyciphyllos and A. cicer in the open patches of the Quercetum roboris festucetosum. Out of these two the A. cicer is frequent among grassex. —A detailed cenological checklist and characterization of this community was given by ZSOLT (1943) from Island Szentendre.—TÖLGYESI (1979) had drawn a popular picture from this community by the report of the flowering species in bloss seasonally.—MAGYAR (1961) described the soil characters of those localities where the Astragalus exscapus and A. asper occur, as a good type for afforestation and for agricultural field also in the Great Hungarian Plain. Consequently, the localities of this community decrease rapidly. Publication of this community with a near complete list of the species is not issued in Hungary until today. This publication from Dunavarsány "Varsány hegy" is the first. But the excellent soil characters due to the fact, that if we found a locality of this community, it would be more or less disturbed. It is true for our second sample, too (Table 3). The 1st sample contains most of the species of the Astragalo-Festucetum rupicolae the 2nd sample is laying near to the wet meadow and the 3rd had been ploughed three years ago and after followed this place. Consequently, the 3rd sample has some pioner characters by the resuccession from the Festucetum vaginatae to the Astragalo-Festucetum assotiation. In the less disturbed 1st sample (Table 3) there are eightyfive species, among others four Astragalus ones and one variety of Astragalus exscapus. The number of the short life-
