B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 35. 2004 (Budapest, 2004)

Szollát, György; Schmotzer, András: Contributions to the flora and vegetation of the environs of Balassagyarmat (Hungary)

like Bidens tripartitus and Cirsium arvense or with masses of nitrophytes like Rubus idaeus, Urtica dioica and Sambucus nigra. Protected plants recorded in the site live almost exclusively in the stands of the swollen-foot alders: Dryopteris carthusiana and Ranunculus lingua (number of specimens: order of tens for each of these), while Hottonia palustris or Hottonia palustris f. deminuta occur in greater numbers (the number of specimens vary year by year depending on the water supply; - order of hundreds or thousands). The records of not protected but relatively rare "species of merit" include Myosurus minimus, Stellaria palustris, Poa palustris, Equisetum fluviatile, Scutellaria hastifolia, Veronica longifolia, Thalictrum simplex, Carex pseudocyperus. Weeds (Bidens tripartitus, Cirsium arvense) infected and considerably degraded parts also exist with masses of Rubus idaeus, Urtica dioica and Sambucus nigra. The species of the swamp woodlands (Alnetea species) are practically missing from the alder swamp wood (Angelico syivestris-Alnetum glutinosae) and the proportion of the Phragmitetea species is smaller, while those of the most common riverine woodlands (Alno-Padion species) are characteristic. The level of degradation and the proportion of the weeds and nitrophytes are similar to those of the alder swamp woods (Carici elongatae-Alnetum) here. The two associations of alder swamp woodlands (Carici elongatae-Alnetum and Angelico syivestris-Alnetum glutinosae) are in close relationship as adjacent members of the same successional series, and the transformation from Carici elongatae-Alnetum into Angelico syivestris-Alnetum glutinosae as well as the degradation is accelerated by the years of drought. The herbaceous species composition of these stands - presently more similar to the physiognomy of Carici elongatae-Alnetum - show gradual enrichment with species characteristic of the riverine gallery forests (Salicion albae, Alnion incanae ~ "Alno-Padion" formerly). This transitional state between the two alder swamp associations were defined as lesser pond sedge-alder swamp woodlands (Carici acutiformis-Alnetum) by KEVEY and ALEXA Y (1996) who reported on similar processes taking place in the woods of Szigetköz (western Hungary). Site No. 12 Elevation: 140-151 m. A strongly degraded form of the treeless sand vegetation, developing regularly on alluvial deposits at higher elevation, is observed south-southwest from the site No. 11 (Madách-tanya, Kender-föld). The characteristic species in this acidophilous sand steppe include Corynephorus canescens, Koeleria glauca, Festuca pseudovina, Petrorhagia proliféra, Veronica dillenii,