Segetal flora of the Middle Vistula River Valley

Abstract

The objective of the study was to describe the segetal flora of the Middle Vistula River Valley. A total of 367 species were recorded in spring and winter cereals, tuber crops, and stubble fields. Such floristic abundance may be due to the fact that the study area is located in the proximity of a river where semi-natural communities interact directly with communities inhabiting cultivated fields and that fields are fragmented and characterised by different habitats. There were more apophytes (62%) than anthropophytes (38%) in the flora studied. Meadow apophytes were the dominant native species (35%) and archeophytes were the dominant anthropophytes (69%). The analysis of the life spectrum revealed that there were more therophytes (50%) than hemicryptophytes (39%). What is more, non-perennial species constituted 56% and perennials 44% of the segetal flora established in the Middle Vistula River Valley. The large proportion of archeophytes (26%) may indicate that traditional farming predominated in the study area.

Keywords

• segetal plants
• anthropophytes
• apophytes
• agrocenoses
• Middle Vistula River Valley