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

Rajczy, Miklós, Buczkó, Krisztina; P. Komáromy, Zsuzsa: Contributions to the flora of the Hungarian caves I. Flora of the entrances of the caves Lök-völgyi-barlang and Szeleta-barlang

Szeleta-barlang Algae - In course of the examination 36 species and 2 forms were identified (Table 3). Apart from Cymbella affinis, all species are typical aerophytic organisms and/or are already known from caves. Cymbella affinis is a freshwater epiphyte being quite common in Hungarian waters. The most frequent alga species in the cave was Navicu

la contenta f. biceps (9 sampled. Gloeocapsa punctata (7 samples), Melosira roeseana (6 samples) and Trochiscia granulata (5 sa: jles) were frequent as well. Distribution of these species may be limited by the light conditions i ie cave (Fig. 4). Two species proved to be sciophylous as they occured only in the sample from semi-darkness (Phormidium pristley and Stichococcus minor

). The fifth frequent species, Monodus subterranea (5 samples) could be found in the samples either from the vicinity of the entrance or from the semidarkness. In this case light limitation is out of question. There were 18 species occurring in only one sample. Bryophytes - We gathered 8 species and varieties from the cave (Table 5). There were 4 species once collected here and not collected again. Eucladium verticillatum, a remarkable plant of cavern habitats was gathered by BOROS in 1928. Neither VAJDA nor we have found this species. VAJDA gathered 3 species in 1969 which were not found by us: Leptobryum pyriforme, Platydictya confertum and Bryum laevifilum (in the cushion of the previous species). We detected only one species being new to the cave: Rhync

hostegiella tenella

. The richest collecting site in bryophyte taxa was the B. The specimen from site A. was unidentifiable because of the thick coverage of blue-green algae and lichens (

Lepraria

)

. Higher plants - Asplenium trichomanes L. was noted by BOROS in his field book. We also found this species in collecting sites C. and D. Besides we noted fern prothallia (most probably of A. trichomanes

) at sites C, D. and E. We found prothallia in the bryophyte specimens of BOROS and VAJDA as well. In BOROS'

s field book there is a note of Stellaria media (L.) Vill. Anyhow, we have found no flowering plant in the cave. DISCUSSION Algae - The alga flora of the Szeleta-barlang is very rich, the riches among the examined caves in Hungary. In the cave Szoplaki-ördöglyuk (P.-KOMÁROMY 1977) 21 alga species, in the small ice-cave near Telkibánya (KOL 1964) 24 species were detectable. The alga flora of the Ló'kvölgyi-barlang is the poorest of all. The reason tor this contrast is that the Lök-völgyi-barlang is very dry and small - its climate is far from being a real "cave-climate". On the contrary, Szeleta-barlang has a rather even, cave-like climate. The air humidity is high, dropping waters are quite common. The stands are diverse as well: limestone rock, dripstone, calc-tuff, clay and soil. Bryophytes - A remarkable phenomenon is the disappearance of certain species from the caves. The excavation works in Lők-völgyi-barlang finished in 1933. BOROS collected here four years later. This must be the reason of vanishing of Rhynchostegiella tenella

, a typical "cave-plant" from this cave. Most probably after the gathering the species could not proliferate again in the more and more dry cave (as during the excavations the entrance became bigger). The flora is now richer but this is characteristic of the entrance region only. At present we can give no explanation of the disappearance of four species from the Szeleta-barlang . The site of Eucladium verticillatum might have been destroyed as the excavations lasted till the forties. METHODOLOGICAL REMARKS Examination of the fixed algological samples resulted 18 taxa. After 1 month cultivation further 10 taxa, after 9 months further 8 taxa and after 15 months further 2 species was found (Table 3). Though we have worked with the greatest care (we used presterilized instruments during the examination) one cannot exclude the possibility of contamination. Probably Chlorhormidium flacci-