ArticlePDF Available

LOST AND FOUND: REDISCOVERY OF SAUSSUREA PORCII DEGEN IN THE RODNEI MOUNTAINS (EASTERN CARPATHIANS, ROMANIA) AFTER MORE THAN A CENTURY

Authors:
  • Romanian Ornithological Society

Abstract and Figures

The present floristic note reports the rediscovery of Saussurea porcii Degen in the Rodnei Mts, at a new site for the species located in the headwaters area of the Rebra river. This new site, therefore, currently represents the only known occurrence of the species in Romania as it is probably extinct at its locus classicus. The number of individuals found is extremely low, which makes the population of particular conservation concern. Introduction The Red List of Vascular Plants of Romania [4] includes a couple of species of which their presence in the flora of the country has not been confirmed for at least a century. Possible causes hindering the attainment of such floristic targets include the disappearance of the species due to ongoing climate change or through zoo-anthropogenic or anthropogenic impacts on the species' habitats. Another cause may be the relatively lower interest in floristic research as compared with the second part of 19 th or first part of 20 th centuries when this research interest
Content may be subject to copyright.
Contribuţii Botanice 2014, XLIX: 39-42
Grădina Botanică “Alexandru Borza”
Cluj-Napoca
LOST AND FOUND: REDISCOVERY OF SAUSSUREA PORCII DEGEN IN
THE RODNEI MOUNTAINS (EASTERN CARPATHIANS, ROMANIA)
AFTER MORE THAN A CENTURY
Attila MÁTIS1, Anna SZABÓ2, László BARTHA3
1 Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR), 19 Crișan Street, 400370 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2 “Apáthy István” Society, 49 Baia Mare Street, 400171 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
3 Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University
42 A. Treboniu Laurean Street, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
e-mail: matisattila@gmail.com
Abstract: The present floristic note reports the rediscovery of Saussurea porcii Degen in the Rodnei Mts,
at a new site for the species located in the headwaters area of the Rebra river. This new site, therefore, currently
represents the only known occurrence of the species in Romania as it is probably extinct at its locus classicus. The
number of individuals found is extremely low, which makes the population of particular conservation concern.
Keywords: Carpathian endemic, conservation, floristics, rare species, wet habitat.
Introduction
The Red List of Vascular Plants of Romania [4] includes a couple of species of which
their presence in the flora of the country has not been confirmed for at least a century. Possible
causes hindering the attainment of such floristic targets include the disappearance of the species
due to ongoing climate change or through zoo-anthropogenic or anthropogenic impacts on the
species’ habitats. Another cause may be the relatively lower interest in floristic research as
compared with the second part of 19th or first part of 20th centuries when this research interest
flourished. Despite these factors, remarkable floristic discoveries still happen in Romania, as
with the rediscovery of Ranunculus glacialis L. in the Eastern and Southern Carpathians [7, 8].
Saussurea porcii Degen (Asteraceae) is a narrow endemic of the Eastern Carpathians and
has been regarded as a ‘mythical’ species in the flora of Romania because living specimens were
not seen on the territory of the present-day Romania for more than a century. The species was
discovered by the botanist Florian Porcius at the eastern side of Mt. Corongiș (Rodnei (Rodna)
Mts.) in 1856. Initially the plant was identified as S. serrata DC., a species distributed in Siberia.
Notes of the botanist Antal Czetz on his herbarium sheet of S. porcii (CL 42434) provide a
glimpse into the ‘conservation status’ of the species from the mid-19th century. He considered
the plant ‘very rare’ and saw it on Mt. Corongiș on 10 August 1858, in a wet meadow habitat and
only within a small area with difficult access. Shoots of the plants, however, were grazed and
trampled by cattle and he (Czetz) found then no specimens with flowers. He excavated a shoot
with roots and re-planted it in his garden, from where the aforementioned herbarium specimen
originated. The species was also cultivated by F. Porcius. He and Czetz were friends and
frequently collected plants together. Specimens from Porcius’s garden cultivation also are
deposited in the Herbarium of the A. Borza Botanical Garden.
40 A. MÁTIS, A. SZABÓ, L. BARTHA
Saussurea porcii was described as a species new to science late, in 1904, by Árpád
Degen and dedicated to its discoverer [3].
In the 1920s additional populations of S. porcii were discovered in the Ukrainian
Carpathians in the Chyvchyny and Chornohora massifs ([5], and references therein). Recently,
Kobiv et al. (2007) [5] assessed the distribution of species within the Ukrainian Carpathians and
also reported new occurrences of the plant within the Svydovets massif. The distribution of the
species in Ukraine is presented in Fig. 1, based on the compilation of Kobiv et al. (2007) [5].
Most information about habitat requirements of S. porcii could be learnt on the basis of
its distribution in Ukraine, where the species still has stable populations. Saussurea porcii grows
there at altitudes of 12951560 m a.s.l. and is confined to hygrophytic to hygromesophytic
vegetation of calciferous habitats including peat bogs (with calciferous influence), mown fen
meadows and edges of streams ([5], and references therein).
Saussurea porcii has been widely regarded as ‘probably extinct in Romania (at least at
the locus classicus of the species) [6, 5, 4] because repeated endeavours to find the species in the
surroundings of Mt. Corongiș failed (G. Coldea, A.S. Bădărău, pers. comm.). A second site for
the species in Romania (a locality named ‘Lanul Cercănel’ close to the city of Borșa in the
Maramureșului Mts.) was erroneously reported by Coman (1941) [1] based on a misidentified
specimen of Crepis biennis L. [2] confirmed by E.I. Nyárádi. Saussurea porcii is included in the
Red Data Book of Ukraine [9] and in The Red List of Vascular Plants of Romania [4].
Results and Discussion
After more than a century, S. porcii was rediscovered by the authors in Romania, on 19
August 2014, during a several day field trip throughout the Rodnei Mts. while surveying spring
mires. Some 12 shoots were found on a surface of 1m2 very close to a rapid-flowing river stream.
Due to the clonal growth habit of the species, these 12 shoots could be considered ramets
belonging to two genets. Only three of the shoots were fertile, where the number of capitula was
814. The fertile shoots were found after anthesis, and already forming cypselae in the capitula.
The shoots had a height of 1030 cm. The location is situated at 1796 m a.s.l. and lies within the
headwaters area of the Rebra river. Thus, it is relatively far from the locus classicus of the
species (Fig. 1). A voucher specimen (CL 664545) of the species collected at this new site was
deposited in the Herbarium of the A. Borza Botanical Garden, as well as photos taken of the
specimens (Fig. 2).
The location has a southern-southeastern exposure and a slope of 5060°. Although such
a slope can be considered relatively steep, this was not the main factor in protecting the species
and assuring its survival in an environment over-grazed by sheep. The authors consider that
dwarf pine (Pinus mugo Turra) and the Siberian juniper (Juniperus sibirica Burgsdorf.) bushes
growing nearby and surrounding the S. porcii specimens apparently had a protective effect on the
species while blocking grazing animals.
According to the Natura 2000 classification, the site belongs to the Petrifying springs
with tufa formations (Cratoneurion) priority natural habitat(code *7220). It has a Doronico
carpatici Saxifragetum aizoidis Coldea (1986) 1990 association, where the following species
could be recorded (with corresponding grades of abundance on the Braun-Blanquet scale):
Saxifraga aizoides L. 2, Carex lepidocarpa Tausch 1, Pinguicula vulgaris L. +,
Silene pusilla Waldst. & Kit. +, Parnassia palustris L. +, Swertia perennis L. 1, Carex
LOST AND FOUND: REDISCOVERY OF SAUSSUREA PORCII DEGEN IN THE RODNEI… 41
sempervirens Vill. 1, Saussurea porcii Degen 1, Bartsia alpina L. +, Phyteuma
orbiculare L. +, Leontodon hispidus L. 1, Ranunculus pseudomontanus Schur +,
Festuca carpatica F.Dietr. +, Viola biflora L. +, Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim. +,
Thalictrum aquilegiifolium L. +, Carex paniculata 1 (G. Coldea, pers. comm.).
Fig. 1: (Left) Distribution of Saussurea
porcii Degen in the Carpathians, based on Kobiv
et al. (2007) [5] and our own data. Circles represent
populations, squares depict settlements. Grey circles
represent the Ukrainian populations named according
to the mountain massifs in which they occur. Black
and white circles represent the locus classicus and the
new site for the species, respectively.
Fig. 2: Photos of Saussurea porcii taken on 19.08.2014 at the headwaters area of the Rebra river
(Rodnei Mts., 1796 m a.s.l.)
The newly discovered site for S. porcii in the Rodnei Mts. is currently the only known
location in Romania where this species grows. The extremely low number of individuals
42 A. MÁTIS, A. SZABÓ, L. BARTHA
growing in an island within an over-grazed environment (otherwise part of Rodnei Mts. National
Park) provides the species particular conservation concern. The authors have informed officials
of the Rodnei Mts. National Park about the discovery in order that appropriate conservation
strategies could be applied (e.g. closing down of grazing on the territory of the whole
watershed). In spite of the fact that additional specimens of S. porcii were not found in the area
during subsequent botanical excursions (G. Coldea, M. Pușcaș, A. Bartók, pers. comm.), a future
study should survey the whole watershed in order to further assess the conservation status of the
population.
Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to Gheorghe Coldea for providing the botanical relevé of the
site where S. porcii was discovered and for helpful discussion on the association. This study was supported by the
project entitled “Monitorizarea stării de conservare a speciilor şi habitatelor din România în baza articolului 17 din
Directiva Habitate”, and funded by “Programul Operaţional Sectorial Mediu” (POS Mediu), Axa prioritară 4, SMIS-
CSNR 17655, contract no. 130537/10.01.2011.
REFERENCES
1. Coman, A., 1941, Contribuţiuni la flora Maramureşului (V, VI), Contributions à l’étude de la flore de
Maramureş, Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Flora des Maramureş-Bezirkes, Revista Pădur, 53 (1): 13-18.
2. Coman, A., 1946, Enumerarea plantelor vasculare din Maramureşul românesc din herbarul “A. Coman”, Bul.
Grăd. Bot. Cluj, 26 (3-4): 110-130.
3. Degen, Á., 1904, Bemerkungen uber einige orientalische Pflanzenarten, Magyar Bot. Lapok, III. (S.): 311
320.
4. Dihoru, G., Negrean, G., 2009, Cartea Roșie a plantelor vasculare din România, Academia Română, Institutul
de Biologie București, București.
5. Kobiv, Y.Y., Helesh, M., Borsukevich, L., 2007, Saussurea porcii Degen (Asteraceae) in the Svydovets
Mountains (Ukrainian Carpathians): location, coenotic conditions, population parameters and conservation,
Ukrayins'k Bot Zhurn, 64 (6): 825-832.
6. Oprea, A., 2005, Lista critică a plantelor vasculare din România, Edit. Univ. “A.I. Cuza”, Iași.
7. Ronikier, M., 2004, Ranunculus glacialis L. in Rodnei Mountains rediscovered after a century, Contrib. Bot.,
XXXIX: 5-6.
8. Ronikier, M., 2010, Distribution of the arctic-alpine Ranunculus glacialis (Ranunculaceae) in the Carpathians,
with a new locality in the Făgăraș Mountains (Romania), Polish J. Bot., 55 (1): 199-207.
9. ShelagSosonko, Y., 1996, Red Data Book of Ukraine, Plant Kingdom, Ukrains’ka encyklopedia, Kyiv.
REDESCOPERIREA SPECIEI SAUSSUREA PORCII DEGEN ÎN MUNȚII RODNEI
(CARPAȚII ORIENTALI) DUPĂ MAI MULT DE UN SECOL
(Rezumat)
Saussurea porcii Degen este o specie endemică a Carpaților Orientali descoperită de către botanistul
Florian Porcius în Munții Rodnei pe versantul estic al Muntelui Corongiș în anul 1856. Specia a fost descrisă drept
specie nouă de către Árpád Degen abia în anul 1904 și a fost dedicată descoperitorului. În Ucraina S. porcii crește în
patru masive muntoase iar localitățile respectiv statutul de conservare ale populațiilor sunt documentate în lucrări
recente. Saussurea porcii a fost considerată ‘probabil dispărută’ din Flora României pentru demersurile repetate
din ultimii ani pentru regăsirea speciei la locul ei clasic nu au avut succes. În 19 august 2014, după mai mult de un
secol de când exemplarele vii ale speciei S. porcii au fost văzute în M-ții Rodnei, specia a fost redescoperită de către
autorii studiului în zona de obârșie a Râului Rebra (M-ții Rodnei), acesta fiind o locație nouă pentru specie.
Descoperirea a fost documentată cu o coală de herbar (CL 664545) depusă la Herbarul Grădinii Botanice A. Borza
din Cluj-Napoca. De asemenea, este prezentată, pentru prima dată, ambianța eco-cenotică în care crește aceasta
specie in România, grație sprijinului dlui. dr. Gheorghe Coldea. Numărul extrem de mic al indivizilor din populația
nou găsită, respectiv pășunatul intens din zonă necesită măsuri stricte de conservare (interzicerea pășunatului) în
vederea ocrotirii speciei.
Received: 9.10.2014; Accepted: 23.10.2014.
... Moreover, inconsistencies might have stemmed from differing selection criteria and evaluation protocols among authors, while a lack of complete species distribution knowledge or resurveys of known populations at the time of publishing each list may have led to varying assessments. Examples are the reconfirmed taxa previously considered EX like subendemic Saussurea porcii (Mátis et al., 2014;Fig. 3I) or the boreal relict Salix myrtilloides (reconfirmed in Bucegi Mountains by V. Bortaș through collected herbarium material stored at IAGB). ...
Article
Romania hosts a relatively high species diversity, including 3,829 vascular and 979 non-vascular spontaneous plant taxa. Multiple national Red Lists exist, with the number of taxa assessed as threatened varying greatly between them, from 548 to 1,438, and with number of taxa assigned to a given threat category also varying between the different sources. A composite list including all taxa mentioned in at least one of the threat categories for Romania is required in order to compensate for this lack of consensus and to assess their ex situ conservation status. In this study, we synthesized data from the national Red Lists and counted 1,220 spontaneous vascular plant species and 201 subspecies, of which 77 are endemic and 76 subendemic for Romania. In addition, 18 non-Red-Listed endemics and 14 subendemics have been added, bringing the total to 1,453 threatened and (sub)endemic plant taxa, representing almost 38% of the total native vascular flora of Romania. Despite the large network of protected areas in Romania, many taxa are still being threatened with extinction in the region mainly due to anthropogenic pressure. Several ex situ conservation measures have been employed to assure a more substantial buffer against plant extinction in the wild, supported by thorough and adequate conservation strategies and multiple means to reintroduce taxa back to their natural habitats. Consequently, our second aim was to evaluate the ex situ conservation status of these threatened and (sub)endemic plants from Romania, focusing on both conventional methods (cultivation in botanic gardens, seed banking) and biotechnological approaches (in vitro tissue culture, medium-term storage and cryostorage). Of the 1,453 taxa included in our list, 642 (44.2%) are conserved by ex situ approaches. Of these, 524 are harboured in the most important botanic gardens throughout Romania, while 156 are currently held in long-term seed banks locally or in the Millennium Seed Bank of the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew (UK). Conversely, only 64 taxa from the list are preserved at the national level through in vitro cultures, and cryopreservation protocols have been developed for only 8 taxa. Overall, more than half of the threatened and (sub)endemic vascular flora from Romania remains unprotected outside the classical in situ conservation measures. For Red Listed bryophytes, only 0.6% are preserved in national ex situ collections. Moreover, some aspects related to population genetic studies and the genetic stability of ex situ coneserved plants are also briefly discussed, as essential prerequisites for applied biodiversity conservation programs. Considering the distribution range of targeted taxa, we included a synthesis of biotechnological approaches at both national and international level. Our study presents not only a first assessment of the ex situ conservation status of national Red List flora, but also, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive and updated overview of the rare, threatened and (sub)endemic taxa from Romania. This evaluation will provide a supporting tool for national decision- and policy-making actions for biodiversity conservation, using both in situ and ex situ approaches. We also highlight the need for an updated Red List for the Romanian flora that accurately follows the IUCN assessment criteria and protocols.
... There is a growing interest in understanding of the main biogeographic patterns and environmental gradients in floras and vegetation, for modelling ecological niches, wherefore an accurate location of the plots is needed (Douda et al. 2015). Updated chorological studies provide valuable information either in the context of non-native species (Sîrbu 2006, Anastasiu 2010, Oprea et al. 2011 or in that of the rare ones (Anastasiu 2010, Țupu 2010, Bartók et al. 2014, Bartók et al. 2016, Filipaș et al. 2016, Pușcaș et al. 2016, Irimia & Mânzu 2018, also enabling the rediscovery of species considered as disappeared from some areas (Mátis et al. 2014, Balázs et al. 2016, Bartók et al. 2019, or even identifying new species (Mátis et al. 2017). ...
Article
Full-text available
Standard Data Forms of some Natura 2000 sites from Romania often contain very few and outdated data. This case applies for the Natura 2000 sites that make the object of our study, ROSCI0222 and ROSPA0042. Therefore, we aimed to highlight the presence of some rare plant species in the area of the studied Natura 2000 sites and to update their chorological information. Only three plant species are included in the Standard Data Forms of the sites and considered of conservative interest: Fritillaria meleagris subsp. meleagris, Salvinia natans (for ROSCI0222) and Iris sintenisii subsp. brandzae (for ROSPA0042). Of them, Salvinia natans and Iris sintenisii subsp. brandzae were confirmed in situ, while Fritillaria meleagris has not been identified within the sites' limits and most likely has been confused with Fritillaria meleagroides. Our research led to the identification of 17 rare plant species important for conservation (belonging to different sozological categories on both European and national level). For each plant species we provide the location, sozological category and the plant communities in which it has been identified.
... Two of these species (Saussurea porcii Degen and Jasione orbiculata Griseb. ex Velen.) have been recently reconfirmed in Rodna (Eastern Carpathians) and, respectively, in Retezat Mountains (Southern Carpathians) (Mátis et al., 2014;Bartók 2014). ...
Article
Full-text available
This study proposes a critical analysis of the distribution of the rare plant species Amelanchier ovalis Medik. in the Romanian Carpathians.The species was mentioned as sporadically distributed in this part of Carpathians, but we found no evidence that the plant was ever collected and deposited in public herbaria. Besides herbarium material, a critical analysis of available botanical literature concurred to the same conclusion: the presence of Amelanchier ovalis in all previously mentioned localities in the Romanian Carpathians can not be supported by any concrete data and, therefore, can be considered as doubtful. The paper reports the recent discovery of Amelanchier ovalis in a new area in the Eastern Carpathians (Vrancea Mountains, Putna-Vrancea Natural Park). A detailed description of plant communities in which the species grows is also provided. Additionally, new sites with Hieracium telekianum Boros & Lengyel (Eastern Carpathian endemic and rare species) are also reported in Vrancea Mountains.
Article
Full-text available
У статті проаналізовано метеорологічні уявлення бойків. Досліджено їх звичаї, приказки, прикмети у контексті спостережень за довкіллям та явищами природи. Вивчено зв’язки між народними прикметами бойків і достовірністю їх справдження. Побудовано криві середньодобових температур для свят Благовіщення, Воскресіння, Святих апостолів Петра та Павла, Різдва, Водохреща. (PDF) Метеорологічні уявлення бойків. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340886803_Meteorologicni_uavlenna_bojkiv [accessed Jun 15 2021].
Article
Full-text available
We present here the list of the 189 taxa of vascular plants from the Ukrainian Carpathians that are most often mentioned in the literature as endemics. This list includes aspects of taxonomic and chorological validity, synonyms, current known distribution in the Ukrainian Carpathians, some notes and most important literature references for all the analyzed taxa. From this list 70 taxa have been validated by the criteria used and considered as Carpathian endemics or sub-endemics that occur in the Ukrainian Carpathians. Additionally, 68 taxa were treated as critical and could not be confirmed through currently known data, while 51 taxa have been designated as (most probably) absent in flora of this region and/or non-endemic.
Article
Full-text available
A new find of Saussurea porcii is reported from the Svydovets Mountains, Ukrainian Carpathians. It occurs on two adjacent wet calciferous sites in the stream valley between Troyaska and Tataruka Mts. at the altitude about 1300 m a.s.l. Exact location and coeno-tic conditions of the localities are described, as well as main population and individual parameters. The population is low-numbered, endangered and needs conservation. The presented results extend the knowledge on distribution and ecological requirements of S. porcii – an extremely rare relict species endemic to the Eastern Carpathians.
Article
Full-text available
In the course of a large-scale biogeographical study focused on Ranunculus glacialis L., the distribution of this arctic-alpine species in the Carpathians was analyzed in detail, based on literature and herbarium data. Several historical localities were visited during subsequent fi eld work and material sampling in 2004–2009. The High Tatra Mts (Western Carpathians) are the only Carpathian massif where the species is relatively frequent in the alpine and subnival belts. It is also known from a few other high massifs (especially the Rodnei Mts and the Făgăraş Mts) but has been considered a very rare and critically endan-gered species there, without recently confi rmed populations. The persistence of one of two historical localities in the Rodnei Mts (Eastern Carpathians) was confi rmed in 2004. In the Făgăraş Mts (Southern Carpathians) it was not found at any of the previ-ously reported sites, which suggests that it either became extinct or forms very small and spatially restricted populations there. However, a new large population of R. glacialis in the Făgăraş Mts was discovered in 2007. These recent fi ndings confi rm the contemporary occurrence of this species in all main parts of the Carpathians, but also confi rm the status of the glacier buttercup as one of the rarest species in the mountain fl ora of Romania.
Enumerarea plantelor vasculare din Maramureşul românesc din herbarul "A. Coman
  • A Coman
Coman, A., 1946, Enumerarea plantelor vasculare din Maramureşul românesc din herbarul "A. Coman", Bul. Grăd. Bot. Cluj, 26 (3-4): 110-130.
Cartea Roșie a plantelor vasculare din România, Academia Română
  • G Dihoru
  • G Negrean
Dihoru, G., Negrean, G., 2009, Cartea Roșie a plantelor vasculare din România, Academia Română, Institutul de Biologie București, București.
Lista critică a plantelor vasculare din România
  • A Oprea
Oprea, A., 2005, Lista critică a plantelor vasculare din România, Edit. Univ. "A.I. Cuza", Iași.
Ranunculus glacialis L. in Rodnei Mountains -rediscovered after a century
  • M Ronikier
Ronikier, M., 2004, Ranunculus glacialis L. in Rodnei Mountains -rediscovered after a century, Contrib. Bot., XXXIX: 5-6.
Contribuţiuni la flora Maramureşului (V, VI), Contributions à l'étude de la flore de Maramureş, Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Flora des Maramureş-Bezirkes
  • A Coman
Coman, A., 1941, Contribuţiuni la flora Maramureşului (V, VI), Contributions à l'étude de la flore de Maramureş, Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Flora des Maramureş-Bezirkes, Revista Pădur, 53 (1): 13-18.
Red Data Book of Ukraine, Plant Kingdom, Ukrains'ka encyklopedia
  • Y Shelag-Sosonko
Shelag-Sosonko, Y., 1996, Red Data Book of Ukraine, Plant Kingdom, Ukrains'ka encyklopedia, Kyiv.