B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 38. 2007 (Budapest, 2007)

Somlyay, Lajos; Bauer, Norbert: Distribution of a little known plant species, Valerianella pumila in Hungary

Studia bot. hung. 38, pp. 143-153, 2007 DISTRIBUTION OF A LITTLE KNOWN PLANT SPECIES, VALERIANELLA PUMILA IN HUNGARY L. SOMLYAY and N. BAUER Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum H1476Budapest, Pf.222, Hungary; somlyay@bot.nhmus.hu, bauer@bot.nhmus.hu All relevant Hungarian literature and herbarium records of Valerianellapumila have been gathered and evaluated in order to clarify its distribution in Hungary. Some erroneous or misleading literature records are elucidated and corrected. This sub-Mediterranean species is extremely rare in Hungary with only a few old and present occurrences. Key words: distribution, phytogeography, sub-Mediterranean elements, Valerianella pumila INTRODUCTION Six species of Valerianella Mill, have been registered in Hungary so far (SIMON 2000). Four of them, V. locusta (L.) Laterr., V. carinata Lois., V. dentata (L.) Poll, and V. rimosa Bast, are more or less widespread (though with insufficient information about their occurrences in some regions), however, V. coronata (L.) DC. in Lam. and DC. and V. pumila (L.) DC. in Lam. and DC. are much more rare in Hungary. The latter two species are sporadic sub-Mediterranean elements of the dry, warm and stony slopes of the Transdanubian Mountain Range and the southern mountains in Transdanubia (Mecsek and Villány Mts) (HORVÁT 1942, JÁVORKA and SOÓ 1951, SIMON 2000), and only a few localities are known in the hilly region of Hungary east of the Danube. While V. coronata is a well-known species for Hungarian botanists (though PERLAKY (1894) was arguing that the Pannonian taxon is V hamata Bast, ex DC. and not V coronata), V pumila is little known with very few old and present records in Hungary. According to SOÓ (1966) V. pumila is a southern Eurasian species (extending eastward to Iran and Turkestan). In Europe its distribution is restricted to southern Europe from Portugal and Spain to Turkey; extending northwards to Hungary (ERNET and RICHARDSON 1976).