Bryophyte Collection of Eszterházy Károly University (EGR): the digital database of peat moss (Sphagnum) species

摘要

The Bryophyte Herbarium of the University of Eger (EGR) is considered to be one of theudmost important collections of this kind in Central Europe. Bryophyte specimens held atudEGR count around 200.000 specimens, of which approximately 2700 are the Sphagnumudspecimens. The first Sphagnum specimens arrived probably by exchange to M. Vrabélyiudfrom prominent botanists, as K. G. Limpricht, A. W. Evans, V. Schiffner and J. E.udZetterstedt. Imortant are the duplicate specimens collected by Á. Boros and L. Vajdaud(their first specimens are stored in BP). Members of the Department of Botany has alsoudincreased this part of the collection during their field research, as by: T. Pócs, J. Suba, I.udBakalár, S. Dulai and A. Vojtkó. Our main aim was to digitalize and publish firstudinformation on the cryptogam herbarium in order to provide an easier access to theuddata.udAfter photographing the pages of the collection, we read the information on the photosudand recorded them in an MS Excel spreadsheet. During the record process the followingudinformation could be filled: species name (Latin), section where it belongs, place ofudoccurrence (administrative area, geographical area, coordinates), habitat, date ofudcollection (year/month/day), substrate, name of collector and of identifier.udWe choose to present here our Sphagnum (peat mosses) collection as the digitizationudprocess started in 2014, and based on stage from July 2017. There are 2700 Sphagnumudsamples of our bryophyte collection representing around 1.35 % of the wholeudbryophyte collection. Among others exsiccata specimens of Sphagnotheca Borealiamericanaud(Ed. R. E. Andrus and D.H. Vitt). Isotype of Sphagnum amoenum Warnst.ud(Bryotheca brasiliensis) and isotype of Sphagnum squarrosiforme Dixon and Sherrinud(Bryophytorum typorum exsiccata) are also preserved in our Sphagna collection. Theudmost active Hungarian collectors were: Á. Boros, L. Vajda, Á. Károlyi, T. Pócs and J. Suba.udIn addition to this, many specimens collected by foreigners can also be found: R. E.udAndrus, A. M. Cleef, J. Duda, A. Stebel, etc. There are 554 specimens from today'sudHungary, most of the Hungarian specimens are from the active years of Á. Boros. Theudoldest Sphagnum specimen was collected by J. E. Zetterstedt in June 23, 1860 fromudSweden. The collection has been growing slowly but steadily during the XIXth century.udWe have specimens in the collections from more than forty countries. The peat mossudcollection has a great floristical significance as preserves important probativeudspecimens of bogs from which the Sphagnum species have been extinct due to theuddecline of the wet habitats in these days. Increasing collection activity was continuousudsince 2010, with completion of new data enties. It is hoped that the unified inventory ofudcryptogam collection will be easily searcheable facilitating loans and research.