Dénes Andrea szerk.: Pécs és környéke növényvilága egykor és ma (Dunántúli Dolgozatok (A) Természettudományi sorozat 12. Pécs, 2010)

Nagy Gábor: A pécsi Mecsek orchideái

96 DUNÁNTÚLI DOLGOZATOK (A) TERMÉSZETTUDOMÁNYI SOROZAT 12 Orchids of the Mecsek Hills at Pécs Gábor NAGY Duna-Dráva National Park, H-7625 Pécs, Tettye tér 9. E-mail: nagyg@ddnp.kvvm.hu Making outstanding natural values, the various orchid species contributing to the flora of south-facing hillsides north of the city of Pécs, characterised with sub-Mediterranean features, are present in these habitats in high numbers at a national scale. A number of scientists have dealt with this highly valuable plant family. Based on a comparison of vegetation data from earlier times with information from present time it appears that, although orchids are fully protected today by law, several species have disappeared or have become extinct in the area, partly due to natural vegetation dynamic processes and succession, and mostly as a consequence of habitat degradation caused by anthropogenic effects. Even the ones that have survived call for considerable, urgent efforts in their protection. At present, there are 22 orchid species whose occurrence is evident in a total area of 250300 hectares, and another 14 have become restricted or extinct during the past 150 years. This means that more than half of the cca 60 species known from the country have occurred in this relatively small area. Among those still existing, the most threatened species is the long horned orchid (Ophrys bicornis

) know to exist in Hungary only in the Villány Hills and the Mecsek Moutains, but the other two strictly protected species, namely the bee orchid (O

. apifera) and Himantoglossum caprinum also deserve special attention.