B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 35. 2004 (Budapest, 2004)

Szollát, György; Schmotzer, András: Contributions to the flora and vegetation of the environs of Balassagyarmat (Hungary)

Strongly degraded or seminatural grasslands were observed in a narrow strip along the Ipoly river (within the flood area or at some places outside the dam, also including portions of the cut bends of the river) (site Nos 3, 4, 5) and in one site a little farther from the riverine marsh vegetation (site No. 1). In this roughly 100-hectare area 128 species were recorded. The number of taxa is obviously very low, even considering that the area is not surveyed very thoroughly; this indicates the uniformity of the vegetation as a consequence of the drying out of the area and other, unfavourable influences causing degradation. The mesophilous grasslands and semidry pasture-like grasslands originate from swamps, large sedge communities, Molinia meadows, mesophilous (lowland eutrophic) meadows which existed here previously, having then much better water supply (as indicated by a few persistent species). However, several taxa (and also their habitats) mentioned in the literature have disappeared by now, due to environmental changes, e.g. Acorus calamus, Calamagrostis canescens, Cicuta virosa, Eriophorum angustifolium, Oenanthe fistulosa, Senecio erraticus, Taraxacum palndosum. The only protected species recorded in several locations is Clematis integrifolia (10-50 specimens). At last, it is worth mentioning a little hump of barely 1-hectare, covered with considerably degraded steppe (site No. 2). The habitat, as a balk between stretches of cultivated land conserved the remnants of a formerly rieh vegetation. The only protected species living here is Iris variegata (1-10 polycormons). * * * Acknowledgements - We are grateful for the associates of the IPOLYUNIO organisation: to Szilárd GYENES (secretary) and Vilmos Nagy for organising the botanical survey and supporting the project in all respects. We also thank Miklós CSAPÓ and Imre NAGY for their floristical data provided for this publication. REFERENCES BORBÁS, V. (1876): Újabb jelenségek a magyar flórában. [New phenomena in the Hungarian flora]. -Math. Term.-tud. Közlem. 12: 75-88. BORBÁS, V. (1877): Dr. Haynald L. érsek herbáriumának harasztféléi (Újabb adatok a magyar pteridográfia ismeretéhez). [Pteridophytes in Dr. L. Haynald's herbarium (New data to the Hungarian pteridography)]. - Math. Term.-tud. Közlem. 14: 437^457. BORBÁS, V. (1878): Floristicai közlemények a Magy. Tud. Akadémia által támogatott botanikai kutatásaimból. [Floristical contributions from my botanical surveys supported by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences]. - Math. Term.-tud. Közlem. 15: 265-372. BORHIDI, A. (2003): Magyarország növénytársulásai. [Plant associations in Hungary]. - Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 610 pp.