L. Hably szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 19. 1986 (Budapest, 1986)

Németh, Ferenc; Iványi, E.: Morphometrical studies on the Hungarian representatives of Ophrys scolopax Cav. agg. (Orchidaceae)

meadow; it is situated in a layer of marsh-meadow soil above a sublayer of holocene sandy sediment. *:existing populations o :old records The two populations were compared by means of a morphometrical analysis based on examination of some qualitative and quantitative characters on living plants. We followed the population with observations over the course of several years, because only a certain portion of the population blooms in a given year, and it is uncertain whether the flowering specimens of one year can provide a satisfactory statistical representation of the entire population. Unfortunately it was impossible to make certain Fig. 1. Map of the native populations of the Ophrys scolopax Cav, agg. in Hungary complementary studies (e.g. determination of karyotype, comparative biochemical analyses, or reciprocal transplantations), because the cultivation of this plant is not yet fully solved and the collection of samples is precluded, this species being strictly protected because of its endangered status in Hungary (NÉMETH 1985). The examined species is a tuberous perennial with an endotrophic mycorrhiza. It flowers only in certain years; in others it shoots a sterile rosette. In the first year the observed individuals were marked by aluminium pegs with a chased code on their upper part and sticked into the soil in a certain position to the plant. By this we hoped to obtain some information about the flowering dynamics of the populations and to identify the weather-independent characters by observing the same plants. Unfortunately the number of the re-discovered markings was too small for a precise evaluation. At Kunpeszér, for instance most of the markings has been destroyed by an out of schedule mowing in autumn of 1983 (Table 1.) Colour slides were made about each examined flower for documentation and subsequent checking, but their value is restricted because of the fluctuating quality of the film (ORWO) and developing. Since this plant cannot yet be successfully cultivated, we had to make our observations in its natural habitat. The flowering of the Pécs population culminates generally in the last week of May. In Kunpeszér this occurs in the second week of June. As the old herbarial samples were qualitatively and quantitatively insufficient for evaluation, we chose not to examine them. .According to some data the number of chromosomes even in the same population may vary: 16, 18 and 19 were counted in a population of the Ophrys scolopax Cav. ssp. scolopax in Southern France (SHIMOYA & FERLAN 1952). We, however, made no chromosomal examinations, because the youngest of the buds were already past meiosis at the time of observation. Furthermore, the roottip preparations required for mitosis examination were unavailable to us because of the abovementioned conservation restrictions. Before chromosomal analysis of these subjects can be made, it will be necessary to produce tissue cultures in greater quantity. The methodology of it is developed on the basis of other works (HARBECK 1963, LÜCKE 1971). Similar experiments are already in progress in Hungary (É. SZ<^KE pers.comra

.). Seeds from the Pécs and Kunpeszér populations have been piaced into a sterile nutrient medium, but the cultures have developed rather slowly. The choice of relevant characters has been exceedingly difficult. Since previous studies have failed to identify and describe exactly the distinguishing features of related races and subspecies, we have considered as many characters as possible and have examined many of them, for the first time, in this study. We received considerable and useful experience in the choice and measurement METHODS