Indicative plant species

The flora of alkaline fens is very rich, which distinguishes these ecosystems from other types of peatlands, e.g., moss mires – bogs or most of the transitional mires. Over 400 species of vascular plants and about 80 species of mosses (Her-bichowa & Wołejko 2004) occur on alkaline fens. Most species that are consid-ered typical (representative) for this habitat are protected species in Poland. Some of them are species with a narrow ecological amplitude and almost absent out-side of this type of habitat. Particularly noteworthy species include: many species of brown mosses, orchids and species from Annex II of the Habitats Directive (Wołejko et al. 2012, in Polish). Alkaline fens belong to the richest habitats in rare, protected and endangered plant species in the Polish landscape (Krajewski et al.

2017).

According to previous studies (Wołejko et al. 2012, Stańko et al. 2018) species that are characteristic of the alliance Caricion davallianae should be considered as species typical for alkaline fens. These include, for example: Carex buxbaumii, Carex davalliana, Carex flava, Carex lepidocarpa, Carex panicea, Gentianella ulig-inosa, Polygala amarella, Eriophorum latifolium, Valeriana simplicifolia, Juncus subnodulosus, Schoenus ferrugineus, Eleocharis quinqueflora, Equisetum variega-tum and Juncus alpino-articulatus (= J. alpinus). The characteristic species of the alliance, occurring (at least theoretically) in a larger number of associations, in-clude: Bryum pseudotriquetrum, Campylium stellatum, sedges: Carex flacca, Carex hostiana and Carex pulicaris,Dactylorhiza incarnata, Dactylorhiza majalis, Epipac-tis palustris, Fissidens adianthoides, Limprichtia cossonii, Liparis loeselii, Parnassia palustris, Pinguicula vulgaris, Primula farinosa, Scorpidium scorpioides, Sesleria caerulea (=S. uliginosa), Swertia perennis, Tofieldia calyculata and Valeriana dioi-ca. The presence of these species usually indicates a good condition of ecosystems (Stańko et al. 2018). Due to the rich and widely available literature (identification keys, atlases, including electronic ones), we present only photographs of selected plant species here, partly presented also in the Guidebook on alkaline fens conser-vation (Stańko et al. 2018).

Typical species, yet obviously non-exclusive for alkaline fens, also include spe-cies that are characteristic of higher syntaxa like the class Scheuchzerio-Caricetea fuscae, e.g.: Baeothryon alpinum, Calliergon giganteum, Carex dioica, Carex chord-orrhiza, Carex diandra, Carex lasiocarpa, Carex limosa, Cinclidium stygium, Erio-phorum gracile, Hamatocaulis vernicosus, Helodium blandowii, Limprichtia

revol-Photo 29: Tofieldia calyculata (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 30: Carex davalliana (with Dactylorhiza majalis

in the background) (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 31: Carex lepidocarpa (photo by K. Kiaszewicz).

Photo 32: Carex panicea

(photo by K. Kiaszewicz). Photo 33: Carex pulicaris

(photo by R. Stańko). Photo 34: Primula farinosa (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 35: Schoenus ferrugineus (photo by E.

Gutowska).

Photo 36: Flowering fen orchid Liparis loeselii on a sedge moss fen dominated by Paludella squarrosa

(photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 37: Saxifraga hirculus (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 38: Eleocharis quinqueflora (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 39: Juncus subnodulosus (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 40: Eriophorum latifolium (photo by R. Stańko).

vens, Meesia triquetra, Menyanthes trifoliata, Paludella squarrosa, Pseudocalliergon trifarium, Saxifraga hirculus, Sphagnum teres, Sphagnum warnstorfii, Sphagnum contortum, Stellaria crassifolia, Tomentypnum nitens, Pedicularis palustris, Pedicu-laris sceptrum-carolinum, Triglochin palustre and Warnstorfia exannulata.

Photo 41: Swertia perennis

(photo by R. Stańko). Photo 42: Pedicularis palustris (with Dactylorhiza

majalis in the background) on one of the flush fens upstream of the Bembeński

stream (Czarna Orawa) (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 43: Flowering Triglichin palustris (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 44: Equisetum variegatum (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 45: Postglacial relict - Betula humilis (photo by E. Gutowska).

Photo 46: Postglacial relict –Baeothryon alpinum (photo by E. Gutowska).

Typical species for mountain flush fens include Carex flava, Carex panicea, Eriophorum latifolium, Epipactis palustris, Tofieldia calyculata, Carex davalliana, Carex dioica and Valeriana simplicifolia, and the physiognomy of the fen is also determined by Equisetopsida, tuft-like sedges and Crepis paludosa.

Photo 47: Salix lapponum

(photo by E. Gutowska). Photo 48: Meesia triquetra (photo by E. Gutowska).

In general, however, it is impossible to provide good, specific floristic or phy-tosociological identifiers for alkaline spring fens, including flush fens. Their veg-etation is usually built from species with broad ecological amplitudes, and spe-cies with Caricion davallianae are not always present. In these cases, to identify the natural habitat of 7230, the ecology of the ecosystem must be crucial, not its vegetation or flora alone.

It is worth mentioning that in the practice of nature conservation monitoring there are four lists of species of plants associated with the 7230 habitat, differing slightly in detail:

– list of species considered characteristic of habitat 7230 in GIOS monitoring (state environmental monitoring);

– list of species considered characteristic of habitat 7230 in ITP monitoring (monitoring of the agri-environmental program);

– a list of indicative species – qualifying parcels to aplication of the Sedge - Moss Scheme as part of the agri-environmental program from Rural Development Plan 2007–2013;

– a list of indicative species – qualifying parcels for application of the Peatland Scheme as part of the agri-environmental and climatic program of the Rural Development Plan 2014–2020 (except for species associated with the natural habitat 7230 containing species associated with other types of peatlands).

These lists are further provided in Chapter 11 on monitoring.

Lists of species typical of alkaline fens also exist in other EU countries (e.g., Chytry et al. 2001, Beutler & Beutler 2002, Verbücheln et al. 2004, Polak & Saxa 2005, Aunina 2013 and Bundesamt für Naturschutz 2017), often also constitut-ing an element in the methodology of monitorconstitut-ing and assessment of the state of this natural habitat. They are similar, but may differ in detail due to the diversity of flora, sometimes different habitat preferences of species in different parts of their range, but also due to the regional history of use and transformation of al-kaline fens as well because of differences in interpretation of this type habitat in individual countries.

Photo 49: Flowering Carex dioica

(photo by R. Stańko). Photo 50: Sphagnum teres (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 51: Cinclidium stygium (oval leaves) with some Paludella

squarrosa (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 52: Pseudocalliergon trifarium – a species associated with the most hydrated fragments of fens and reservoirs

within them (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 55: Carex chordorrhiza (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 56: Carex diandra

(photo by R. Stańko). Photo 57: Valeriana dioica

(photo by R. Stańko). Photo 58: Parnassia palustris (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 53: Blooming Dactylorhiza majalis and

blooming Menyanthes trifoliata (on the right)

(photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 54: Blooming Pinguicula vulgaris surrounded by Limprichtia

cossonii (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 59: Paludella squarrosa with Helodium blandowii and

Aulacomnium palustre (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 60: Hamatocaulis vernicosus (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 61:Tomentypnum nitens (photo by R. Stańko).

Photo 62: Helodium blandowii

(photo by R. Stańko). Photo 63: Scorpidium scorpioides (photo by R. Stańko).