Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 94. (Budapest 2002)

Matskási, I.: Bicentenary of the Hungarian Natural History Museum

of a number of plants, which also enrich the special collections of the Department of Botany. All the other ongoing research work of the Department of Botany has its roots in historical values. Alongside with the investigation of one-time flora and vegetation - beginning from 190 million years ago - the research of present-day plants is partly associated with each taxonomic category and is partly environmental protection-oriented. Should we roam about Transdanubia, we will find that the alginite hewers (oil shale) located in the vicinity of Sitke and Pula conceal the remains of a flora of 4-5 million years ago. Besides prevalent elm, oak, and Zelkova, Gingko and Buxus were also typical for the region. Few would think that one of our richest materials dates back to Oligocène, 35 million years ago, and comes from under the territory of Budapest. One-time brick-yards of Óbuda (Old Buda) surfaced these fossils in a fairly good state. The analysis of the interrelations and taxonomy of flowering plants that are indigenous in Hungary involves a field of research of plants living today. Over the past few years, two sorts of blood-wort {Achillea) have undergone a thorough genetic analysis. The genetic analysis of grasses has been in the centre of our research for years, just like the attempt made at isolating them by epidermis tests. The investigation of some simple genera, such as e.g. grape-hyacinth (Muscari) and Sesleria, is still in progress. Besides the ones in the herbarium, our research encompasses live plants as well. The research of microscopic fungi goes back to a history of many a decade at the Natural History Museum. GUSZTÁV MOESZ, the renowned mycologist, created that ample and valuable collection that spread the reputation of the herbarium of microscopic fungi all over Europe. Unfortunately, the devastation of World War II caused irreplaceable losses to this collection. Following in the great predecessor's footsteps, the collecting and processing work of the past decades added a great number of valuable materials to the collection. The Department of Botany is the centre of taxonomic and floristic research on macrofungi. Out of 3,000 macrofungi occurring in Hungary, the collection stores dissected and lyophilised in a way unprecedented in Europe - 2,400 specimens. In the past 30 years the researchers of the Department have described 27 species new for science. Clarifying the current distribution of rare and endangered moss species in Hungary involves the major subject of research with regard to the moss collection. Within the scope of this research, the deposits of 49 mosses in the European Red Data Book of endangered species occurring in Hungary are being explored at present.