Acta Botanica 1-2015 - za web.indd ACTA BOT. CROAT. 74 (1), 2015 151 Acta Bot. Croat. 74 (1), 151–157, 2015 CODEN: ABCRA 25 ISSN 0365-0588 eISSN 1847-8476 Short communication Small-fl owered bittercress, Cardamine parvifl ora L. (Brassicaceae), a new species of the Croatian fl ora DRAGAN PRLIĆ* Donji Meljani 92C, HR-33520 Slatina, Croatia Abstract – Cardamine parvifl ora L. was discovered in April 2014 during the study of vascular fl ora and habitats in the area of Slatina (Slavonia region). It was found in a fl ood- ed forest of narrow-leaved ash, in the vicinity of the villages Medinci and Novi Senkovac. The species here grows in wet soil but partially submerged populations were also ob- served. It presents a new species of the Croatian fl ora and expands the fl oristic inventory of Slatina and its surroundings. Other valuable taxa have also been recorded in the area, such as Carex riparia Curtis and Ophioglossum vulgatum L. Keywords: Cardamine parvifl ora, fl ooded forest, Slatina, vascular fl ora Introduction The genus Cardamine, one of the largest in the family Brassicaceae, consists of annual to perennial herbs of approximately 200 species worldwide, with the tropical species con- fi ned to mountains (CLAPHAM et al. 1987, KUČERA et al. 2005). In the European fl ora it num- bers a total of 54 species (LIHOVA and MARHOLD 2006), whereas in the Croatian fl ora there are currently 18 species and 4 subspecies (NIKOLIĆ 2014). The small-fl owered bittercress, Cardamine parvifl ora L., occurs in numerous European countries, but is absent from certain parts of the Balkan Peninsula (JALAS and SUOMINEN 1994, MARHOLD 1995). It is already known from specifi c neighbouring countries of Croatia, such as Italy (PIGNATTI 1982), Hungary (JAVORKA and CSAPODY 1991, HORVÁTH et al. 1995) and Serbia (JOSIFOVIĆ et al. 1972). So far there have been no records for Slovenia (MARTINČIČ et al. 2010) or, considering the lack of a recent checklist, for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BECK 1903). The Euro+Med Plantbase (MARHOLD 2011) notes the occurrence of this species in Au(A) Bu By Cs Es Fe Ga(F) Ge Hs(S) Hu It La Lt Lu Mo Po Rf(C E K N) Rm SkSr Su Uk(K U). Cardamine parvifl ora is a short, erect, hairless annual, 7–22 (–40) cm. Leaves are pin- nate, the lower with 5–11 pairs, the upper with 7–13 pairs of linear to linear-oblong, cune- ate, entire leafl ets. Petals are 1.5–2.5 mm, obovate, white. Siliqua 8–20 × 0.7–0.8 mm, erect * Corresponding author, e-mail: prlicdragan@gmail.com Copyright® 2015 by Acta Botanica Croatica, the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. All rights reserved. PRLIĆ D. 152 ACTA BOT. CROAT. 74 (1), 2015 on patent pedicels (JOSIFOVIĆ et al. 1972, TUTIN et al. 1993). Seeds elliptic, lateral com- pressed, apex rounded, base mostly truncate, 0.6–0.8 × 0.5–0.7 mm, narrowly winged (BO- JNANSKY and FARGAŠOVA 2007). Phytogeographically it belongs to the Eurasian fl oral ele- ment (CARLSEN et al. 2009). In North America, populations of this species are sometimes treated as C. parvifl ora var. arenicola (Britton) O. E. Schulz or as a separate species, C. ar- enicola Britton. In the recent account of the genus in the Flora of North America, North American populations of C. parvifl ora are not treated as taxonomically different from Eur- asian ones (AL-SHEHBAZ et al. 2010). This species is not listed in plant determination handbooks for Croatia (DOMAC 1984, 2002) and it is absent from observational data and herbaria entries in the Flora Croatica Database (NIKOLIĆ 2014). Since Cardamine parvifl ora has not been previously identifi ed in Croatia, it should, therefore, be treated as a new taxon of the vascular fl ora of Croatia and included in the Flora Croatica Database. Material and methods Field research is being conducted at several new localities within the City of Slatina which is situated between the two natural borders, Drava River to the north and foothills of Mt Papuk to the south. One of the localities being studied is the forest area »Medinačko ražljevo«, spreading over the southeastern part of the villages Medinci and Novi Senkovac (Fig. 1). It is predominantly covered by pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), with the excep- tion of a few fl ooded sites with populations of black alder (Alnus glutinosa) or narrow- leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia). The terrain elevation throughout the area is around 104 m. The climate is moderate continental with an average annual temperature of 11.3 °C and 726.4 mm of average annual precipitation measured in the period of 2000–2008 (Meteoro- logical and hydrological service). Fig. 1. The location of Cardamine parvifl ora L. (black dot) within the area of Slatina (Croatia). CARDAMINE PARVIFLORA IN CROATIA ACTA BOT. CROAT. 74 (1), 2015 153 The literature used in determination of the plant material was JOSIFOVIĆ et al. (1972), PIGNATTI (1982), ROTHMALER (2009) and TUTIN et al. (1993). The exact location of the species was recorded on-site using a handheld GPS device modifi ed for the HTRS96/TM national coordinate system. A corresponding Central European MTB/64 quadrant is also given as a means of indirect mapping (NIKOLIĆ 2006). The wider area around the subject species was fl oristically surveyed and the observa- tional records will be added to the Flora Croatica Database. Samples of several plant speci- mens were collected and deposited in Herbarium Croaticum (ZA) and in a personal collec- tion. Results and discussion In April 2014, during the course of ongoing botanical research in the area of Slatina (PRLIĆ 2012, 2013), the forest area »Medinačko ražljevo« was surveyed and, as a result, an unknown plant species was recorded and identifi ed as Cardamine parvifl ora L. (Fig. 2). It was found in a fl ooded forest of narrow-leaved ash and summer snowfl ake (As. Leucojo- Fraxinetum angustifoliae Glavač 1959), between the stream Slatinska Čađavica (denoted as »Jova r.« on the recent topographic map) and an intermittent stream that cuts through the forest area. It is not very frequent in the investigated forest area and was only discovered in small interspersed populations. A representative population of the species can be found at the coordinates E598894 N5065374 which are located in the 0272.432 MTB/64 quadrant. A fairly rich ground layer with additional important plant species (ANONYMOUS 2013, NIKOLIĆ 2014) was also observed at the site (Tab. 1). Tab. 1. List of plant species recorded in the study area. Strictly protected and red list species are un- derlined. Vegetation layer Recorded plant species Tree-layer Acer campestre, Fraxinus angustifolia, Quercus robur, Ulmus minor Shrub-layer Acer tataricum, Cornus sanguinea, Crataegus monogyna, Frangula alnus, Ligustrum vulgare, Prunus spinosa, Pyrus pyraster Ground-layer Ajuga reptans, Alliaria petiolata, Alopecurus pratensis, Angelica sylvestris, Athyrium fi lix-femina, Caltha palustris, Cardamine amara, Cardamine fl exuosa, Cardamine parvifl ora, Cardamine pratensis, Carex elata, Carex elongata, Carex remota, Carex riparia, Carex vulpina, Cirsium canum, Colchicum autumnale, Cruciata laevipes, Dryopteris fi lix-mas, Eleocharis palustris, Erigeron annuus, Euphorbia palustris, Galium aparine, Galium palustre, Glechoma hederacea, Hedera helix, Humulus lupulus, Iris pseudacorus, Lamium maculatum, Lamium purpureum, Leucojum aestivum, Lychnis fl os-cuculi, Lycopus europaeus, Lysimachia nummularia, Mentha aquatica, Oenanthe fi stulosa, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Phragmites australis, Ranunculus auricomus, Ranunculus repens, Rorippa amphibia, Rosa canina, Rubus caesius, Scutellaria hastifolia, Solidago gigantea, Stellaria media, Symphytum offi cinale, Taraxacum offi cinale, Tephroseris crispa, Thlaspi alliaceum, Urtica dioica, Valeriana dioica, Valeriana offi cinalis, Veronica serpyllifolia PRLIĆ D. 154 ACTA BOT. CROAT. 74 (1), 2015 Fig. 2. Cardamine parvifl ora L.: a) habitus, b) infl orescence and c) leaves. CARDAMINE PARVIFLORA IN CROATIA ACTA BOT. CROAT. 74 (1), 2015 155 This species was found growing on wet soil and, in places, partially submerged in the water as the locality was lightly inundated at the time of the fi eld research. These are rela- tively open microhabitats not overgrown by other plants. Such habitat conditions are par- ticularly suitable because the species prefers periodically fl ooded and open lowland areas (ZLINSKÁ 1990). The small-fl owered bittercress is already known from certain communities of alliances such as Nanocyperion Koch 1926, Phalaridion arundiaceae Kopecky 1961 or Phragmition communis Koch 1926 (ZLINSKÁ 1992, MARHOLD 1995). When the fi rst populations of Cardamine parvifl ora were recorded in early April, these plants were already in fl ower and some of the specimens were even producing fruit at the time. This can be considered an early fl owering time as the literature indicates it starts fl ow- ering in May, lasting until August in Northern Europe (MARHOLD 1995, GREY-WILSON and BLAMEY 2003). In Serbia it is known to bloom a second time during the autumn (JOSIFOVIĆ et al. 1972). The extent of occurrence of this species in the area of Slatina is restricted to less than 12 ha (0.12 km2) of narrow-leaved ash forest. A fi eld survey in the area has also recorded that the population consists of fewer than 500 adult individuals. Consequently, according to the IUCN standards (NIKOLIĆ 2005), Cardamine parvifl ora should be treated as a critically en- dangered (CR) species in Croatia. Although there are no known immediate threats to the habitat, further studies need to be conducted in order to monitor the population size. As an ephemeral annual plant, it is usually present in a wide area but changes particular, open, often fl ooded, microhabitats from year to year; therefore its preservation at a particular spot might require a certain form of active management. Cardamine parvifl ora can possibly be confused with other members of the genus Car- damine. In the Croatian fl ora, it bears the closest resemblance to C. pratensis, however, the latter is different in its signifi cantly larger petals, usually grey-green leaves and orbicular basal leafl ets. There is also a possibility of confusion with C. impatiens which has margin- ally larger petals, but the leaves are auriculate at the base and its leafl ets are dentate or lobed. Additionally, it may be mistaken for C. hirsuta which bears a distinctive basal rosette at anthesis. Cardamine parvifl ora can be clearly distinguished in the fi eld by its small pet- als, emphasized leaf pinnation and entire leafl ets. 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