Taxonomic and ecological traits of Cystopteris dickieana R. Sim (Cystopteridacae), one of the most cryptic ferns in the world, recently reported also for the Balkan area
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان:
Taxonomic and ecological traits of Cystopteris dickieana R. Sim (Cystopteridacae), one of the most cryptic ferns in the world, recently reported also for the Balkan area
Cystopteris dickieana R. Sim (Cystopteridaceae) is a circum-holarctic species that grows in rock crevices. Despite its wide distribution range, its presence within this geographical area is highly sporadic and rare. Furthermore, due to the difficulty of distinguishing it within the complex of C. fragilis (L.) Bernh. species, its worldwide distribution and ecology are not yet well known and are the subject of numerous studies. For these reasons, the species is to date considered one of the rarest and most cryptic species belonging to the genus Cystopteris. In Balkans, the presence of four species belonging to this genus (C. alpine (Lam.) Desv. ; C. dickieana ; C. fragilis ; C. montana (Lam.) Desv.) was reported. Consequentially, the recent discovery of C. dickieana in the surroundings of the settlement of Sveti Rok (southern Mt Velebit, Croatia) is the first for this part of Europe. The purpose of this work, based on bibliography, herbarium and field research, is to highlight the differences between the different taxa in terms of taxonomic traits and ecological characteristics so as to favour the recognition of C. dickieana as a function of morphological characteristics and outline the ecological peculiarities. Some notes on the environment in which the species was found, new taxonomic details and ecological data, and identification key for the different taxa are presented.