Floristic diversity of plants spontaneously spreading in the botanical garden of the University of Łódź (Poland)

Abstract

Bomanowska, A., Kurzac, M., Stefaniak, A.: Floristic diversity of plants spontaneously spreading in the botanical garden of the University of Łódź (Poland), Biologica Nyssana, 3 (1), September 2012: 01-10.

The aim of the paper is to characterize plants spontaneously spreading outside the flower beds within the territory of the botanical garden of the University of Łódź. Floristic studies rivealed that many cultivated species also appear outside their original planting sites. Total of 124 taxa of vascular plants were found to be subject of spontaneous spreading. Various directions of spontaneous migration of species from sites of their planting were observed within the garden: the “oak-hornbeam lawn”, shaded lawns, sunny lawns, shaded paths, sunny paths, limestone rock garden on hillside. Most species occurred exclusively in one of the above-listed sites. The analysed group of vascular plants includes a predominant representation of native species – 103 species (83.1 %) and predominance of herbal perennial plants – hemicryptophytes (80 species; 67.7 %).

Key words: botanical garden, migration patterns, plant collection, spontaneous spread