L. Hably szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 23. 1992 (Budapest, 1992)

Szerdahelyi, Tibor; Lőkös, László: Botanical collectings by the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Korea. A report on the collectings of the 2nd Expedition

STUDIA XXIII. BOTANICA HUNGARICA (Antea: Fragmenta Botanica) 1992 pp.127-133 Botanical collectings by the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Korea. A report on the collectings of the 2nd Expedition. By T. SZERDAHELYI and L. LÓKÖS (Received November 30,1991) Abstract:An itinerary and list of localities of the botanical collectings of the 2nd expedition in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in June-July, 1988 are given. Approximately 300 vascular plant and 380 lichen specimens were collected. With 1 figure. The second Hungarian botanical expedition to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea took place in the summer of 1988, in June and July. Two botanists and two zoologists took part in this four weeks long expedition (MERKL and SZÉL 1989). At the same time this was the 12th zoological expedition. The tour was organized by the Korean Academy of Sciences. In Pyongyang we visited the Botanical Institute and the Botanical Garden. The director himself guided us in the institute and presented details about its ten departments. Then we visited the nearby botanical garden where in the green houses we saw the amazing Kim II Sung flower (an orchid) and the fdmjongilia flower (a begonia) named after the Great Leader and his son, the Dear Comrade, the two leading politicians of North Korea. The main purpose of the study tour was to collect lichens, ferns and other flowering plants. The fresh early summer weather was pleasant and suitable for collecting plants and taking photos mainly in the Pyongyang area. In the mountains the climate was colder, and showers frequently made us fresh and interrupted our work. We had difficulties in drying the plant material because of the high humidity. We spent 12 days on field trips in three main areas, first in Pyongyang and its surroundings, then in the Kumgang Mountains and in the Paekdu Mountains. Approximately 300 vascular plant and 380 lichen specimens were collected. Four lichen species collected in sufficient amount were issued in Vezda's Lichenes Selecti Exsiccati Fasc. XCI (IX. 1988): Cyphelium lucidum (Th. Fr.) Th. Fr. (No. 2256), Dimerella isidiata Thor et Vezda (No. 2259), Loxospora cismonica (Beltram.) Hafellner (No. 2253) and Ochrolechia szatalaensis Vers. (No. 2264). Unfortunately we were allowed to meet DR RI JONG DZAE the only lichenologist of DPRK, at the end of our expedition only. He showed us the lichen herbarium which consists of cca. 10,000 specimens and the first enumeration of the DPRK lichen flora comprising 247 species (RI JONG DZAE 1983). The second checklist was just in press at the time of our visit (318 spp. - RI JONG DZAE 1988). Both lists are poor in crustose species.