In the paper we present the results of studies on the variability range of the flower colour, size and shape in D. majalis. The research was carried out in three populations, deliberately chosen so that to exclude the possibility of hybridisation with other orchid species. The obtained results confirm a wide range of phenotypic plasticity of a taxon, in extreme cases causing problems in species identification. The performed analyses demonstrate that the labellum index, similarly to the colour of the flowers and the shape and the pattern of labellum, have a wide range of individual variability, which makes it quite difficult to classify taxa within the genus.
A series of studies on pollination biology of the Epipactis atrorubens (Hoffm.) Besser, E. purpurata Sm., and E. palustris (L.) Crantz populations was conducted in Poland, Lithuania and Czech Republic between 2003 and 2010. The research focused on pollinators and visitors to aforementioned orchid species as well as on the chemical analysis of orchids’ nectar which was done using the GC/MS method. It was found that: 1) the type of pollinators depends on the orchid population size and the surrounding environment, where the temperature and amount of precipitation during the vegetative season are the most vital factors; 2) pollinators and visitors to the examined orchids might differ in successive growing seasons; 3) the studied Epipactis species differ in the chemical composition of their nectar and its scent, which can influence their pollination biology; 4) the tendency to autogamy observed in E. purpurata might be due to lack of pollinators in its habitats.
Epipactis palustris (L.) Crantz kruszczyk błotny to jeden z najbardziej zagrożonych gatunków storczyków w województwie dolnośląskim. Spośród 70 stanowisk podawanych z tego terenu przed 1945 rokiem obecnie istnieje jedynie 14. W artykule podano wykaz stanowisk historycznych i aktualnie istniejących oraz zagrożenia dla istniejących populacji
This paper presents a new locality of Ophioglossum vulgatum L. found in the south-western Poland in 2009. The population consists of 7001000 specimens.
The paper brings a new record about Dark Red Helleborine Epipactis atrorubens (Hoffm.) Besser in the Karkonosze (the Sudetes, NW Poland). The new site is situated 3 km to the west of the center of Szklarska Porêba, at the foot of Czerwone Skałki Mt., 775 m a.s.l. Two flowering and three vegetative ramets were observed here in July 2009. It grows on a small rocky escarpment between the local road and the railway. A long distance from the known localities and the site properties suggest that the newly discovered population may be of an anthropogenic origin. Distribution map of all known localities of E. atrorubens in Lower Silesia is also presented. The population is endangered because of isolation and a small number of specimens. The main threatening factors are anthropogenic impacts and succession. Any repair work, as well as sprinkling the road with salt in the winter, may destroy the population.
The comparative analysis of leaf morphology was performed in E. helleborine (L.) Crantz, E.atrorubens (Hoffm.) Besser, and their interspecific hybrid, Epipactis ×schmalhausenii Richt. The aim of this research was to find out features that would be useful in the taxonomy of the genus Epipactis, and particulary their taxa of hybrid origin. In course of the studies special attention was paid to leaf morphology, mostly to their margins, presence of papillae, their shape and size, and to leaf structure. The thickness of the leaf blades manifested by number of spongy mesophyll cell layers, size of vascular bundles and the level of leaf sclerification were compared in the hybrid and both parental species. In E. helleborine and E. atrorubens the analyzed features were highly variable, especially in the former species, which is characterized by wide phenotypic plasticity. Morphological and anatomical features in E. ×schmalhausenii showed a transitional character to the parental species. Our results suggest that a single feature can not be of taxonomic value, but the combination of different traits has to be considered when distinguishing parental and hybrid taxa.
The identity of the holotype of Epipactis purpurata Sm. is shown to be demonstrably ambiguous because all its flowers are at the budding stage (pre-anthesis); thus, no crucial diagnostic characters are visible, i.e., gynostemium morphology and undulations of margins of the labella and their shape and color. This way, the specimen is almost identical with several species of Epipactis genus (E. purpurata group) and including morphologically variable Epipactis helleborine, as many plants of the latter species can have similar combinations of characters like the holotype (i.e., small leaves and a robust stem even in the inflorescence). Thus, an epitype for the name Epipactis purpurata Sm. is proposed (M 257866) in order to enable its precise taxonomic interpretation and achieve nomenclatural stability.
The article presents the preliminary results of research on changes in the abundance and population density of Epipactis helleborine carried out during the vegetation seasons of 2010 and 2011. The spatial distribution of ramets was analyzed in terms of population changes. The population studied was located in an anthropogenic habitat near the village of Guszczewina on the outskirts of the Białowieża Forest. The results of the study suggest that vegetative multiplication was dominant in the population. An attempt is made at finding the cause and extent of this phenomenon.
Cypripedium calceolus L. is a threatened species in Poland and critically threatened in Lower Silesia. Among ca. 45 recorded regional subpopulations only 14 currently exist. In the mountains and in the foothills it grows mainly in orchid beech forest Cephalanthero-Fagetum and their modified forms as well as in degraded Central-European oak-hornbeam forest Galio-Carpinetum. The only lowland stand is situated in highly modified dryland forest. In one locality lady's slipper orchids maintain in degenerating xerothermic grassland of the Bromion alliance. The paper contains phytosociological documentation of all associations, a complete list of localities and an up-to-date distribution map of the species in the region.