B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 36. 2005 (Budapest, 2005)

Szollát, György; Standovár, Tibor: Botanical values of the Öreg-hegy and Juhász-halom near Csomád

The distribution of major communities follows that of the bedrock: on relatively shallow rendzina-like soils rich in sand and gravel developed on weathered sandstone meadow-steppe (Cleistogeni-F estucetum sulcatae ZÓLYOMI 1958) occurs, whereas on deeper sand calciphile sand steppe {Festucetum vaginatae RAPAICS ex SOÓ 1929 em. BORHIDI 1996), or - at the lower part of the southerly slope - sand meadow-steppe (Astragalo austriaci-Festucetum sulcatae SOÓ 1957) is the characteristic association. Many of the characteristic species are the same in these associations, including dominant monocotyledons determining vegetation structure. These species include Stipa capillata, Chrysopogon gryllus, Festuca rupicola, Botriochloa ischaemum, Carex humilis and their most common associates, Koeleria cristata and Anthoxanthum odoratum. Stipa borysthenica is dominant in one patch on sand. These species dominate the vegetation in different combinations and in different proportions. The most typical types are as follows: (1) Festuca rupicola and Botriochloa ischaemum are codominants; (2,3) one of them is dominant with the other as subdominant; (4) Stipa capillata is monodominant; (5) Stipa capillata and Chrysopogon gryllus are codominants; (6) Stipa capillata and Festuca rupicola are codominants; (7) Stipa capillata is dominant with Festuca rupicola as subdominant; (8) Chrysopogon gryllus is dominant with Botriochloa ischaemum as subdominant; (9) Botriochloa ischaemum is dominant with Chrysopogon gryllus as subdominant; (10) Carex humilis is abundant with substantial Botriochloa ischaemum, Chrysopogon gryllus, Stipa capillata and Festuca rupicola. Meadow-steppes This latter type (10, see above paragraph) occurs on shallow colluvial deposits and is different from typical meadow steppes. The grassland is not closed, and there are several species that are not characteristic of (or generally missing from) meadow steppes, but occur both in rock steppe of the mountains and in sand steppe of the plains (ZÓLYOMI 1958, FEKETE and KOVÁCS 1982). Allium moschatum, Fumana procumbens, Carex liparicarpos, Euphorbia seguieriana, Minuartia setacea, Alyssum tortuosum, Carex humilis are good examples. Globularia punctata is a species more characteristic of rock steppes and it grows on sandstone on the Öreg-hegy. Scorzonera austriaca, a species also characteristic of rock steppes but missing from sandy areas, was found in a similar habitat on the ridge of the hill. All these together with the abundance of Chrysopogon gryllus, and especially of Carex humilis support the idea that these grasslands have some remote relationship with rock steppes (Chrysopogono-Caricetum humilis ZÓLYOMI 1958). However, on the Öreg-hegy composition, structure and weathering properties of the bedrock prevented the development of steep rocky slopes that could host this association.