37 (2): (2013) 113-120 Original Scientiic Paper Sesleria serbica (Poaceae), a neglected species of the Balkan Peninsula Nevena Kuzmanović1✳, Snežana Vukojičić1, Zoltán Barina2 and Dmitar Lakušić1 1 Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden Jevremovac, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Takovska 43, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 2 Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Könyves Kálmán krt. 40, 1476 Budapest, Hungary ABSTRACT: Sesleria serbica is a neglected taxon traditionally wrongly synonymised with S. rigida. Our multifaceted study conirmed its speciic status. Herewith we comprehensively describe its morpho-anatomical and ecological features. It is an obligate serpentinophyte, and a protected species in Serbia. Regarding its distribution, S. serbica is a Balkan endemic species (local endemic of the eastern part of the Illyrian province). Nomenclatural and taxonomical notes are also provided, as well as the national conservation status of this species. Key words: Sesleria serbica, Poaceae, neglected species, morpho-anatomy, ecology, chorology Received 25 May 2013 Revision accepted 30 July 2013 UDK 582.542.11(497) INTRODUCTION he species, treated now as Sesleria serbica (Adam.) Ujhelyi, has been irst recognised by Adamović (1896) as a variety of S. rigida Heuf. ex Rchb., and later raised to speciic level by Ujhelyi (1959a). Traditionally, the taxon S. serbica was included in the complex S. rigida (section Calcariae Deyl, sub-section Rigida Deyl; Deyl 1946). It was mostly treated as a lower infraspeciic taxon or just as a serpentine ecotype of the species S. rigida (Deyl 1946, 1980; Diklić & Nikolić 1986; Tatić 1976), and only rarely as a “good species”, S. serbica as proposed by Ujhelyi (Ujhelyi 1959a; Stevanović et al. 1995, 2003; Euro+Med 2006). Following Ujhelyi, detailed molecular, morphoanatomical and chorological-ecological studies have been carried out with the aim to describe and conirm clear diferences that occur between S. serbica and other members of S. rigida s.l. (Kuzmanović et al. 2009, 2012). he inal conirmation and circumscription of S. serbica was published in Kuzmanović et al. (2013), where it was shown that whithin the complex S. rigida four species can be recognized – S. achtarovii, S. ilifolia, correspondence: nkuzmanovic@bio.bg.ac.rs ✳ S. rigida and S. serbica. hese results have shown that the genetic diferentiation pattern was relected by morphological diferentiation, where leaf morphology and especially anatomy play a primary role in morphological discrimination of the constituents of S. rigida s.l. In addition, further discrimination can be obtained using the characters of overall habit such as the shape of tuts (stoloniferous vs. compact) and spikes (lax and interrupted vs. dense and compact). he aim of the present work is to describe in detail the anatomical, morphological, ecological and phytogeographical specialty of the species S. serbica, as well as to provide information regarding taxonomical and nomenclatural issues. MATERIAL AND METHODS Plant material was collected during ive vegetation seasons (2008–2012). Anatomical and morphometric analyses were performed on dissected plant organs preserved in 50% ethanol (leaves) or in 1:1 glycerol/ethanol solution (stems with spikes). © 2013 Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden Jevremovac, Belgrade vol. 37 (2) 114 Table 1. Accession used for morphometric analyses. Locality Coordinate Altitude Habitat Voucher Individuals Serbia, Tara mountain, Paljevine 43.8769 N, 19.4168 E 950 black pine forests (Erico-Pinetum nigrae) Lakušić, D. 27106 26 Serbia, Kopaonik, Nebeske stolice 43.2605 N, 20.8298 E 1850 subalpine pasture (Festuco-Seslerietea) Lakušić, D. 27617 15 Serbia, Kopaonik,Treska 43.2604 N, 20.7854 E 1600 subalpine pasture (Festuco-Seslerietea) Jakovljević, K., Kuzmanović, N. 28735 28 Serbia, Mokra Gora 2 43.7319 N, 19.6431 E 800 black pine forests (Seslerio-Pinetum nigrae) Kuzmanović, N. 28739 26 Serbia, Mokra Gora 1 43.8286 N, 19.5268 E 900 black pine forests (Seslerio-Pinetum nigrae) Kuzmanović, N. 28740 26 Serbia, Zlatibor, Zlatiborska jezera 43.8142 N, 19.5132 E 1000 black pine forests (Seslerio-Pinetum nigrae) Kuzmanović, N. 28741 30 Serbia, Gornji Milanovac, Brdjani’s gorge 43.9934 N, 20.421 E 300 rocky grasslands (Festuco-Brometea) Lakušić, D. et al. 28817 24 Serbia, Gornji Milanovac,Vujan 43.9858 N, 20.4478 E 550 rocky grasslands (Festuco-Brometea) Lakušić, D. et al. 28830 28 Serbia, Maljen, Ljuti krš 44.1256 N, 19.9981 E 950 black pine forests (Seslerio-Pinetum nigrae) Kuzmanović, N. 29507 26 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gornja Maoča 44.7698 N, 18.6555 E 280 black pine forests (Seslerio-Pinetum nigrae) Kuzmanović, N. et al. 29515 22 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gornja Maoča 44.7606 N, 18.6526 E 300 rocky grasslands (Festuco-Brometea) Kuzmanović, N. et al. 29516 28 Analysis of 27 anatomical leaf characters was performed on cross-sections of tiller leaves as described by Kuzmanović et al. (2009). 23 macromorphological characters were analysed following combined and adjusted methods used for Festuca L. (Auquier 1974; Lakušić 1999; Foggi et al. 1999, 2006) and Sesleria Scop. (Alegro 2007; Di Pietro 2007). he anatomical measurements were performed on the cross-sections of 277 tiller leaves (each obtained from diferent individuals, 11 populations). Anatomical analyses of the leaves were done on permanent hand–made slides, prepared by a standard method for light microscopy. Cross sections of the tiller leaves were cleared in Parazone and thoroughly washed before staining in safranin (1 % w/v in 50 % ethanol) and alcian blue (1 % w/v, aqueous). he measurements were performed using a Leica Qwin (Leica Microsystem, Germany) and Digimizer Image Analysis sotware (MedCalc Sotware, Belgium). Statistical analyses were performed using Statistica 5.1 (StatSoft 1996). Voucher specimens were deposited at BEOU. he information regarding populations used for the morphometric analyses is provided in Table 1. Chorological and ecological data were based on recent ield studies, analysis of herbarium material deposited at BEOU, BEO, BP, BUCA, GZU, PR, PRC, SOM, W and WU (herbarium acronyms follow Thiers 2013), as well as critically-evaluated literature data. All species-occurrence data are stored in a Microsot Excel 2003 database. Following the principles and methods of data cleaning and data quality (Chapman 2005a, 2005b), each original record was carefully reinterpreted, so that in addition to primary species data which included taxonomic and nomenclatural information and original spatial attributes (verbatim data) every row in the database contained an optimum of accurate and precise data on habitat, substrate, altitude, aspect and Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)-coordinate in the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS). Distribution data were mapped on the grid N. Kuzmanović et al: Sesleria serbica (Poaceae), a neglected species of the Balkan Peninsula 115 map with squares of 10 km × 10 km, based on the UTM projection according to Lampinen (2001). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION History of Sesleria serbica. he irst nomenclatural element that can be associated with the name S. serbica is the herbarium specimen collected in 1893 and deposited in the Herbarium Generale collection in the Hungarian Natural History Museum (BP 593596!) - “Sesleria rigida Heuf. var: longifolia m. In saxosis ad Gornji Milanovac. Solo serpentino. V. 1893 L. Adamović”. Since Lujo Adamović did not publish this name with the description or diagnosis, it can be considered as “nomen nudum” (Art. 38 Ex. 1, McNeill et al. 2012). In the same year, in April and May, he collected a number of specimens that were deposited in more European herbaria mainly under the name S. rigida Heuf. (WU 0042093!, GZU 259577!). Furthermore, in the special collection of Josef Velenovský in PRC herbarium there is a specimen collected in April 1893 by Adamović “In saxosis ad Gornji Milanovac” that was originally determined by Adamović only as Sesleria, and probably sent to Velenovský for revision. Velenovský added the determination “Sesleria rigida Heuf. var.”, and wrote probably to Adamović that the plant represented a variety of S. rigida unknown to him (J. Štepanek 2009, pers.comm.). Probably ater the correspondence with Velenovský, and on the basis of his own investigations, Adamović decided to describe S. rigida var. serbica (Adamović 1896) - “Sesleria rigida Heuf. v. serbica mihi, Rhizomate valde elongate tenui vix dense caespitoso, culmis elatiborius, foliis pungentibus infernos culmos aequantibus vel superantibus, spica elongate laxa interrupta. In rupestribus calcareis montis Vujan prope Gornji Milanovac, ca 500 m. Aprili lorens”. From the locality it is apparent that this referred to the same taxon that he had previously named S. rigida var. longifolia, but with a diference on the geological substrate on which the plant was collected. Another specimen was found in W herbarium collected near Gornji Milanovac in the year when the protologue reference was published (W 1897-0006747!) - “Sesleria serbica Adamov. In rupestribus circa Gornji Milanovac. Loc. class. Solo calc. Apr. 1896 L. Adamović”. he protologue was published in Allgemeine Botanische Zeitschrit Syst. 2 (No. 7/8) – July and August, so the specimen collected in the same year in April can be unambiguously associated with the protologue and treated as part of the original material. However, the specimen from PRC appeared as the most appropriate for the nomenclatural type of the name S. rigida var. serbica (hence for the name S. serbica also), so it was designated as the lectotype in Kuzmanović et al. 2013 (PRC451931!, Figure 1). Fig. 1. Lectotype of Sesleria serbica (Adam.) Ujhelyi (PRC 451931) Ater Adamović, Ujhelyi (1959a) in his work Species Sesleriae generis novae elevated this taxon to the species level under the name S. serbica (Adam.) Ujhelyi: “Sesleria serbica (Adam.) Ujhelyi pro specie.”, and indicated that synonyms are Adamović’s S. rigida var. serbica and S. rigida var. longifolia (in herb.). In this paper he gave an extensive description, however, instead of typifying the new combination by the basyonym type, he gave a new holotype for the taxon, which was not in accordance with Art 9.19 (McNeill et al. 2012). herefore, the “holotype” he let in the Herbarium of the Natural History Museum in Budapest (BP 734294!) cannot be considered as the nomenclatural type for S. serbica. Regardless of this mistake that he made, during his work on the genus Sesleria, József Ujhelyi gave a signiicant contribution to the knowledge of this complicated grass genus (Ujhelyi 1938, 1940, 1959a, 1959b, 1960; Ujhelyi & Felfoldy 1948). Morphological description. Plant perennial, broadly caespitosae (up to 1m in diameter), rhizome very elongated and without reticulate basal leaf sheaths (Figure 1A). Leaf sheaths yellowish-green, glabrous. Culms (15.7) 23.8-42.6 (-55.9) cm tall, glabrous. he uppermost culm 116 vol. 37 (2) Fig. 2. Sesleria serbica (Adam.) Ujhelyi. A. Plant on the locus classicus (Mt. Vujan; photo D. Lakušić); B. Leaf transverse section, C. Spikelet, D. Seed Fig. 3. Distribution of Sesleria serbica (Adam.) Ujhelyi (UTM Grid zone T34, spots correspond to the basic square of 10 × 10 km) leaf is 0.20-1.66 cm long. Ligules short, ciliate. Tiller leaves 4.5-45.3 cm long, setaceous, prostrate or slightly upright, never erect or rigid, dark green, shiny. he leaves are rolled around the central nerve (convolute), and their leaf blade form varies from the oval to elliptical (Figure 2B). Surface of the leaf blades ranges from 152.01 to 523.05 mm2. Width of the leaf blades ranges from 0.60 to 1.42 mm. hickness of the leaf blades in the zone of the central vein varies from 0.18 to 0.29 mm, and the largest thickness from 0.14 to 0.28 mm. On the adaxial side of the leaf there is only a central rib whose width varies from 0.09 to 0.19 mm. he mesophyll is not diferentiated to spongy and palisade tissues. It is built of the chlorenchyma cells which fulill all the space not covered by sclerenchyma or vascular bundles and their sheath layer. he vascular bundles make just one row and they are located in the mesophyll, close to the epidermis of the adaxial side of the leaf. hey are diferent in size, so it is easy to distinguish the “major” (big) and “minor” (small) bundles. All the bundles have elliptic form and are surrounded by one layer of cells, making the sheath of the vascular bundle. he major vascular bundles have clearly developed big tracheas. Number of major vascular bundles varies from 3 to 7. Minor vascular bundles are small, without or with hardly noticeable big tracheas. Number of minor vascular bundles varies from 3 to 12. Height of the central vascular bundle varies from 0.05 to 0.11 mm. Width of the central vascular bundle varies from 0.04 to 0.09 mm. Height of the largest lateral vascular bundle varies from 0.05 to 0.11 mm and width of the largest lateral vascular bundle varies from 0.04 to 0.08 mm. Sclerenchyma is interrupted, with a tendency to form a continual subepidermal layer in the older leaves. It is organized in the form of sclerenchyma girders (from the adaxial to the abaxial side of the leaf they descend to the vascular bundles) and strands (they do not touch the vascular bundles). he sclerenchyma strands on the adaxial side of the leaf are generally absent, while on the abaxial side of the leaf they are always present. he number of sclerenchyma strands on the abaxial side of the leaf varies from 1 to 6. Sclerenchyma girders appear both on adaxial and abaxial sides of the leaf in a similar number - number on adaxial side of the leaf varies from 6 to 14, and on the abaxial side from 5 to 14. Occasionally, the sclerenchyma strands and girders on the abaxial side of the leaf are mutually connected, forming sclerenchyma strands extending in a parallel way with the epidermis of the leaf. Extremely rarely, the sclerenchyma strands are registered on the adaxial side of the leaf as well. Height of the sclerenchyma strand of the central vascular bundle varies from 0.02 to 0.06 mm. Within the zone of the central vascular bundle the sclerenchyma is organized exclusively in the form of a sclerenchyma strand, located on the abaxial side of the leaf. he surface of the sclerenchyma N. Kuzmanović et al: Sesleria serbica (Poaceae), a neglected species of the Balkan Peninsula 117 varies from 13.29 mm2 to 98.69 mm2. Occasionally, in the mesophyll some colorless cells can be observed, within the zone of sclerenchyma girders on the adaxial side of the leaf. On the adaxial side of the leaf the presence of moderately to densely distributed simple hairs are observed, whose length varies from 0.02 to 0.10 mm. hinned out hairs are present on the abaxial side of the leaf, whose length varies from 0.01 to 0.08 mm. Bulliform cells are present in the highest number of the analyzed leaves, and their dimension (expressed as a relative ratio of the lengths of bulliform cells and neighboring cells of the epidermis of the adaxial side of the leaf) varied in a range from 0.88 to 4.01. Spike cylindrical, elongated and slightly interrupted (16-) 19-30 (-44) mm Í (4-) 5-7 (-8) mm, with (7-) 1116 (-20) spikelets. Spikelets on prominent pedicels, with 2-3 lowers (Figure 2C). Glumes unequal, membranous, with a single vein, obtuse, glabrous. Lower glumes 3.47.2×1.1-2.8 mm, upper glumes 3.6-7.8×1.4-2.9. Lemma oblong, sparsely pubescent to glabrous between the veins, membranous, with 3-5 veins and 3-5 awns (middle awn the largest), 3.8-6.3×1.7-3.4 mm with 0.4-1.4 mm long awn. Palea as long as or shorter than the lemma, twoveined, shortly awned, pubescent on the veins, obtuse, 3.7-6.1×1.3-3.0 mm. Anthers 2.44-4.48 mm long. Seed lanceolate, pubescent in the upper part, 2.05-3.24 mm long, 0.96-1.26 mm wide, hilume 0.46-0.96 mm long (Figure 2D). Distribution and ecology. Sesleria serbica represents a local endemic taxon (Balkan endemic), distributed on the Inner Dinarides of central and eastern Bosnia (Mitrovići, Tajan, Krivaja, Varda, Konjuh, Gostović, Gornja Maoča) and western and central Serbia (Vujan, Brđanska gorge, Tučkovo, Maljen, Tara, Mokra Gora, Zlatibor, Studena planina mountain , Stolovi, Goč, Čemerno, Ibar valley, Studenica valley, Raška, Kopaonik, Jadovnik, Stari vlah, Ozren, Rogozna). A doubtful record from the serpentine areas in Banija (Croatia, Sekulić et al. 1988) could not be conirmed in the course of the present study (N. Kuzmanović, ield observations). Chorologically, it can be classiied as an East Illyrian endemic, i.e. local endemic of the eastern part of the Illyrian province. Distribution is presented on the map with squares of 10 km × 10 km (Figure 3). Sesleria serbica occurs only on serpentine bedrock, and by this feature it belongs to the group of obligate serpentinophytes (Stevanović et al. 2003). However, in the protologue (and on some herbarium specimens), Adamović (1896) recorded the species on limestones of Mt. Vujan near Gornji Milanovac. Our recent ield investigations could not conirm the presence of S. serbica on calcaerous bedrock on mt. Vujan (where limestone and serpentine areas have a wide contact zone); it was exclusively on serpentine outcrops conirming its belonging to serpentinophytes. Its populations occur at altitudes ranging from c. 300 m a.s.l. (Brdjani gorge, Gostovićka river gorge) to 1900 m a.s.l. (Kopaonik-Nebeske stolice), mostly on north and northeast expositions, on the slopes ranging from 15 up to 85 degrees. According to Deyl (1946) it belongs to the eurythermal group of species, which are blooming in early spring. Regarding phytosociological features, S. serbica has an important role in forming several types of primary and secondary communities. On the summits of mountains that it inhabits, it forms the primary community type Seslerietum serbicae (Seslerietum ilifoliae Z. Pavlović 1955, Luzulo-Seslerieteum rigidae D. Lakušić 1987) that can be included in the class Elyno-Seslerietea Br.-Bl. 1948. On the steep slopes, in northern expositions, on the lower altitudes, it dominates the understory of the speciic forest community Querco-Pinetum Z. Pavlović 1964, Seslerio rigidae-Pinetum nigrae Gajić 1954 and Pinetum nigraesylvestris Z. Pavlović 1951 (Erico-Pinetea Horvat 1959), as well as Seslerio-Ostryetum, Seslerio-Fagetum and SeslerioBetuletum community types (Querco-Fagetea Br.-Bl. et Vlieg. 1937). Furthermore, on places where the forests are degraded, it builds up the speciic secondary community Erico-Seslerietum rigidae R. Jovanović et S. Jovanović 1985 and communities where S. serbica dominates on the open rocky grasslands that can be included in the class FestucoBrometea Br.-Bl. et Tüxen ex Soó 1947. On the territory of Serbia, S. serbica was recorded in many other communities, e.g. in Euphorbieto (cyparissias)-Brachypodietum pinnati E. Vukićević 1965, Ostryeto-Quercetum petraeae serpentinicum E. Vukićević, Helleboro-Querco-Ostrytetum B. Jovanović 1967, Pinetum nigrae Gajić 1954, Silenetum serbicae D. Lakušić 1987, etc. (Lakušić et al. 2005). In Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the eastern parts, the species S. serbica builds up communities with Viola beckiana Fiala ex Beck (belonging to the class FestucoBrometea Br.-Bl. et Tüxen ex Soó 1947) - Sesleria rigidaViola beckiana=Sesleria serbica-Viola beckiana (Krause & Ludwig 1957, Ujhelyi 1959a), while in central and northwest parts the community Seslerio serbicae-Pinetum Rt. 1970 is recorded (belonging to class Erico-Pinetea Horvat 1959, Lakušić et al. 1977). Conservation status. According to national legislation, Sesleria serbica is a protected species in Serbia (Sl_ RS_5/2010), and following Stevanović et al. (1995) it was included in the Review of the vascular lora of Yugoslavia of international importance, evaluated as rare. Based on our recent studies, the high number of actually know populations, and the fact that S. serbica is usually a dominant species of various plant communities, we feel that the nature conservation status of the species should be reconsidered and that it is not threatened or a red list species, even in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while its occurrence needs conirmation in Croatia. CONCLUSION Our comprehensive study employing morpho-anatomical, chorological and ecological data conirmed the specialty of Sesleria serbica that deserves to be treated as a species. It can be easily distinguished from other members of the complex S. rigida primarily for being an obligate serpentinophyte, while all other species are strictly calcicole, but also by having stoloniferous, broadly caespitose tuts, spikes that are elongated and lax (4-5 times longer than wide), and tiller leaf hairy on both sides. Additionally, S. serbica is restricted to the Illyrian province (Dinaric Mts. of eastern Bosnia and western Serbia), whereas S. rigida belongs to the Carpathian (Carpathians in Romania), S. ilifolia to the Moesian (Balkan Mts. in eastern Serbia and western and northern Bulgaria and Munţii Banatului in Romania) and S. achtarovii to the Macedonian-hracian province (Rhodope Mts. in southern Bulgaria and northeastern Greece) with one isolated population on the island of hassos in the Aegean province of the MacaronesianMediterranean region. Acknowledgements — We gratefully acknowledge the inancial support provided by the Serbian Ministry of Science and Technological Development (project no. 173030). Support from the European SYNTHESYS programme (Project No. HU-TAF 2956) granted to N.K. is also acknowledged. he work of the third author was supported by grant OTKA104443. We also acknowledge the herbarium curators L. Pignotti (W), W. Till (WU), L. Somlyay (BP), O. Šida (PR), J. 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Naša sveobuhvatna istraživanja potvrdila su njen status vrste. U radu je dat detaljan opis njenih morfo-anatomskih, horoloških i ekoloških osobina. Takodje, detaljno su razmatrana i pitanja vezana za nomenklaturu i taksonomiju, kao i status ugroženosti ove vrste. Ustanovljeno je da je vrsta S. serbica obligatna serpentinoita, rasprostranjena u istočnom delu Ilirske provincije, u zapadnoj Srbiji i istočnoj Bosni, te da u tom smislu predstavlja lokalno endemičnu (istočnoilirsku) vrstu Balkanskog poluostrva. Ključne reči: Sesleria serbica, Poaceae, zapostavljena vrsta, morfo-anatomija, ekologija, horologija