Assessing occurrence and habitat of Ophioglossum vulgatum L. and other Ophioglossaceae in European forests. Significance for nature conservation

摘要

Ophioglossum vulgatum has been discovered in several Lorraine forests with numerous populations on Keuper clay substrate. In all these forests, it occurs in the same plant community type, a hygrophilic oak-ash forest belonging to the Carpinion alliance. O. vulgatum is present in all stages of in the forest cycle, but it is most abundant in young succession stages. This misrecognized forest habitat of O. vulgatum represents a primary habitat for this species and also a refuge, in which it is much less threatened than in wet grassland ecosystems. A review is given of all published data related to this Ophioglossum in European forests and comparisons are made with the occurrence of other European Ophioglossaceae in forest communities, in particular Botrychium virginianum in boreal and subalpine forests and B. matricariifolium in montane and lowland forests.