Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 31/2. (2011)
Botany
Mihaela SÄMÄRGHITAN, Silvia OROIAN and large valleys with soften slopes, sometimes steep. The level differences between meadows and peaks that guard the river basin exceed 220 m, reaching up to 260 m. In the approximately NNE-SSW direction, the area is crossed by the main watercourse, Niraj River and its main tributary, Nirajul Mare River. On the territory of the Vargata commune, the sub-mountainous area of the Niraj River is found, characterized by strong course of the Nirajul Mare River, carrying gravel, and downstream, starting from its confluence with the Nirajul Mic River from the Miercurea Niraj, occurs a spectacular transition to the appearance of lower river, with a gentle flow to a large meadow, which exceeds in some places even the width of the Mure§ River valley, of which is tributary. On this territory, the Nirajul Mare River valley widens gradually from 500-800 m to about 2 kilometers on the Niraj River valley. From the geological point of view, the area meet to date only Pannonian age formations, represented by gray clay marls with thin grit or sand intercalations and within fine and medium sand with marl-grit intercalations. The thickness of clay layers is of hundreds of meters on the slopes, and on the main valley bottom, under a low permeable blanket of sandy-clay powder is a porous pack of layers of gravel with sand and boulders, representing the alluvium deposited by Niraj River. The thickness of these layers increases from upstream to downstream. Material and methods This research is based on field observation. The main method of study was the most frequent and appreciable of Montpellier School, the Braun-Blanquet method. In accordance with the research work performed in 2004 and 2010, a new station for Fritillaria meleagris species was identified in the Mure§ county. According to Ladislav Mucina, Georg Grabherr, Thomas Ellmauer (1993) [10] and Gh. Coidea (1991) [3] classification system, the Fritillaria meleagris populations were framed in Calamagrostio-Salicetum cinereae Soó et Zólyomi in Soó 1955 association. For this association, territorial spreading, floristical composition, biological structure, phytogeographic elements and ecological behavior correlated with plants’ needs for humidity, temperature and soil pH are mentioned in the paper. A diploid and polyploid species graphic distribution was made as well. Nomenclature of species is consistent with Flora Europaea [20, 21]. Systematic classification of taxa was made according to Code of Botanical Nomenclature, 1995 [25]. Syntaxonomic classification was based on consulting the most recent classification papers at European level [ 10, 11] and also on synthetic works developed on the vegetation of Romania [5, 15]. The habitat types are coded according to Interpretation Manual of Natura 2000 Romanian habitats, developed and printed in Romania under the PHARE project „Implementation of NATURA 2000 in Romania [6] and according to Habitats in Romania [5]. Results and discussions Despite the continental character of this valley, all excess water during spring caused the formation of a meso-hydrophilic vegetation. The phytocoenoses with Salix cinerea and Fritillaria meleagris are framed to the Alnetea glutinosae class by the classification system envisaged by the authors: Ladislav Mucina, Georg Grabherr, Thomas Ellmauer (1993) and Gh. Coidea (1991): 26
