B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 37. 2006 (Budapest, 2006)
Bauer, Norbert: Open sandy grasslands of the Bakony region
Studio, bot. hung. 37, pp. 5-33, 2006 OPEN SANDY GRASSLANDS OF THE BAKONY REGION N. BAUER Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum H-1476 Budapest, Pf. 222, Hungary; batter®bot.nhmus.hu The vegetation of the sandy areas in the Carpathian Basin is well-searched, but not evenly explored. The present publication discusses well separable samples from the margins of the Bakony region (Transdanubia, Hungary), Bakonyalja (Fenyőfő, Bakonyszentlászló, Bakonyszücs, Nagytevel), the margin of the Southern Bakony (Hegycsd, Sáska, Sümeg) and the Balaton Uplands (Salföld, Szentbékkálla), of some stands of the three important open sandy grassland plant associations (named Festucelum vaginatae, Fesluco vaginatae-Corynephoretum, Thymo angustifolio-Corynephoretum units). The paper describes the status of the Festuco-Corynephoretum stands and those of the open sandy grasslands dominated by Stipa pennata. Besides, samples of a calciphobe sandy grassland dominated by Koeleria majoriflora, so far having been sampled near Nagytevel, are also given. In Bakonyalja the Festuco vaginatae-Corynephoretum stands just in the environs of Fenyőfő and Bakonyszentlászló are characteristic. Evolvement of these stands apparently is abrogated by disturbing effects including glades of Festuco vaginatae-Pinetum sylvestris, forest edges, margin of rccultivated bauxite-mine on pioneer sandy surfaces). It is observed that Thymo angustifolio-Corynephoretum is the only characteristic plant community of the limeless sandy surfaces of Bakonyalja (Nagytevel, Sümeg, Hegyesd, environs of Sáska and the margin of the Kál Basin) are comprising the most typical species Corynephorus canescens, Rumex acetosella, Thymus serpyllum, Hypochoeris radicata, and Jasione montana. Key words: Festucetum vaginatae, Corynephoretum canescentis, sandy grassland, Bakony region INTRODUCTION The recognition of the specific features of the sandy steppe vegetation was significant in establishing the basic phytogeographical characters of the Carpathian basin and in describing the region's vegetation (KERNER 1863, BORBÁS 1884, 1900, TUZSON 1914, RAPAICS 1918, BOROS 1958, SOÓ 1931, ZÓLYOMI 1958, BoRHiDi 1997). KiTAiBEL Pál (see WALDSTEIN and KITAIBEL 1802-1812, GOMBOCZ 1945) already observed some typical plant taxa of the sandy areas of the Great Hungarian Plain. The first vegetation and the coenological papers also mention the peculiar sandy steppe vegetation, first by giving descriptions at formation level (KERNER 1863, TUZSON 1914), and then at association level (RAPAICS 1925a, SOÓ 1930). The latter papers, indeed, are the bases of Hungarian classical coenology. With the published samples of open sandy grassland dominated by Festuca vaginata {Festuca vaginata - Ephedra distachya ass.) of Káposztásmegyer RAPAICS (1925a) provides the foundation of the method and nomenclature of phytocoenology; SOÓ (1930) gives a more detailed description, a synthetic table Sludia Botanica Hungarica 37, 2006 Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest
