This research is part of a Hungarian Research OTKA project that examines the vegetation of sandy grasslands along the Danube. During this study, Festuca wagneri and Festuca tomanii were identified as potentially suitable grass species for urban planting and turf establishment based on preliminary research. Our aim was to determine the germination success of seeds from aesthetically selected individuals and to identify the growing media on which they germinate most effectively. From the collected Festuca individuals, we analyzed 30 specimens of each taxon under garden conditions and selected the individuals for germination. The Festuca tomanii individuals were uniform, so we selected only 5 individuals. The Festuca wagneri individuals were categorized into three groups: leaves and inflorescence densely upright, inflorescence shoots spread out, and low ’dwarf’ form (compact and dense but short in stature). It was assumed that Festuca species seeds would germinate better in sandy soils. To test our hypothesis, seeds from ten Festuca wagneri and five Festuca tomanii individuals, selected based on aesthetic criteria, were sown in six different substrates: a sand–peat mixture, sand, coconut fiber, peat, coconut fiber–sand mixture, and native sandy soil (Calcaric Arenosol). Contrary to our expectations, the growth and germination rates of seeds sown in peat and coconut fiber substrates were higher than those in native sandy soil. These results suggest that Festuca seeds germinate better on substrates resembling dead plant debris with a peat-like structure or on the surface of live mosses rather than on bare sand. Among the examined individuals, the seeds from the spreading Festuca wagneri group exhibited the highest germination rate, making this group particularly suitable for urban environments. Additionally, one of the upright Festuca wagneri individuals showed the highest leaf average length and should also be considered for urban planting. In contrast, despite their uniform appearance, the Festuca tomanii individuals did not demonstrate similar germination trends. In fact, the seeds from two clumps did not germinate at all, indicating that further research is necessary.

In this study, we examined over 200-year-old Ginkgo biloba L. specimens under different environmental conditions. The overall aim was to explore which factors influence their vitality and general fitness in urban environments and thus their ability to tolerate stressful habitats. In order to determine this, we used a number of different methods, including histological examinations (stomatal density and size) and physiological measurements (peroxidase enzyme activity), as well as assessing the air pollution tolerance index (APTI). The investigation of the genetic relationships between individuals was performed using flow cytometry and miRNA marker methods. The genetic tests revealed that all individuals are diploid, whereas the lus-miR168 and lus-miR408 markers indicated a kinship relation between them. These results show that the effect of different habitat characteristics can be detected through morphological and physiological responses, thus indicating relatively higher stress values for all studied individuals. A significant correlation can be found between the level of adaptability and the relatedness of the examined individuals. These results suggest that Ginkgo biloba L. is well adapted to an environment with increased stress factors and therefore suitable for use in urban areas.

Using native species for urban green space is rather important nowadays. Plant cover on soil is necessary for agronomical and architectural investments as well as conservational programs, which all need minimal maintenance and have to be cost efficient. Commercially available seed mixtures for grasslands and lawns include species that partly originated from other mesoclimatic zones, and thus they may not be able to survive in the long-term, nor will they be adventive to the local ecosystem. With a focus on climate change, the most arid part of the Pannon geographical region was selected (near Törökszentmiklós in Nagykunság, Hungarian Great Plain). The local flora has adapted effectively to the environment; therefore, many species growing there were candidates for this study. Annuals and herbaceous perennials were investigated with respect to harvestability, reproducibility, decorativity, seed production, seed morphological characters (size, mass) and germination features. The selected 20 taxa were inoculated with INOQ Agri mycorrhiza (Rhizophagus irregularis) to increase the drought tolerance and biomass of the plants. Mycorrhizal frequency was significantly different among the taxa, reflecting various responses to the symbiotic interaction and possibly various mycorrhizal dependence of the plant species examined. We did not observe significantly higher colonization rate in most cases of the samples with artificial inoculation treatment. We conclude that the degraded mowed lawn soil that we used could contain propagules of AM fungi in a sufficient amount, so in the artificial grassland restorations, the additional AM inoculation treatment is not necessary to achieve a higher AM colonization rate.

Plants belonging to the family Cyperaceae are used in traditional medicine worldwide to treat various diseases. The present study focuses on the antibacterial, antioxidant, and xanthine-oxidase inhibitory screening of 41 Cyperaceae species from genera Carex, Cladium, and Schoenoplectus, occurring in the Carpathian Basin. This study evaluated 123 fractions with different polarities ( n -hexane, chloroform, and ethyl acetate) of 41 extracts for their antibacterial, antioxidant (DPPH and ORAC assays), and xanthine oxidase (XO)-inhibitory activities. Mainly the ethyl acetate fractions of Carex elata, C. hartmaniorum, C. melanostachya, C. montana, C. morrowii, C. oshimensis, C. petriei, and C. siderosticta displayed high antibacterial activity (inhibition zones > 15 mm) against one or more bacterial strains . In the case of Schoenoplectus lacustris and Carex petriei , also the ethyl acetate fractions showed remarkable antioxidant effects . In contrast, several chloroform extracts possessed XO-inhibitory activity. For Carex siderosticta, C. sylvatica, and Cladium mariscus, the results of the DPPH tests correlated well with those of the ORAC tests; these sedges demonstrated high antioxidant activities in both assays. Based on the results, especially Carex buxbaumii, C. rostrata, C. muskingumensis, C. oshimensis, C. montana, C. siderosticta, C. sylvatica, and Cladium mariscus are considered worthy of activity-guided phytochemical investigations to identify the specific compounds responsible for the observed activity.

Isépy István (1942-2022), magyar botanikus, flóra- és vegetációkutatóra emlékezünk. Már fiatal korától a növényvilág megismerése érdekelte, ezért a gimnázium elvégzése után az ELTE biológia-kémia tanári szakára jelentkezett, ahol 1966-ban szerzett diplomát. Az egyetem elvégzése után az ELTE Botanikus Kertben működő MTA kutatócsoportban kapott állást, majd 1982-től 2005-ig, nyugdíjazásáig az ELTE Füvészkert igazgatójaként dolgozott. Kutatómunkája során vizsgálta a Vértes hegység erdőtársulásait, a gyertyános-tölgyesek anyagforgalmát, a Pannonicum szárazgyepeit és a védett növényfajok ex situ megőrzésének és szaporításának lehetőségeit. Emellett részt vett a flóra- és vegetációtérképezés országos mozgalmában, valamint aktív szerepe volt természetvédelmi területek létrehozásában. Mint egyetemi oktató elsősorban növényrendszertant és biogeográfiát oktatott. Emellett népszerűek voltak a hallgatóság körében a szorgalmi időszakban tartott botanikus kerti növényismeret, illetve magashegységek növényvilága speciális kollégiumai, valamint a nyári vakáció idejére szervezett, fakultatív részvételű, magashegységi terepgyakorlatai. Botanikai expedíciókat és hallgatói terepgyakorlatokat vezetett Üzbegisztánba, Grúziába, Ausztriába, Szlovéniába, Olaszországba és Erdélybe. Munkásságáért több elismerésben részesült, többek között a Magyar Érdemrend lovagkeresztje polgári tagozata kitüntetést is elnyerte, a Magyar Biológia Társaság pedig sokoldalú tevékenységéért, de különösen a kiemelkedően hosszú lapszerkesztői munkájáért Gelei József életműdíjban részesítette. A botanika tudományáért és annak népszerűsítéséért tenni akaró, kedves és segítőkész személye mindig hiányozni fog. Emlékét méltón őrizzük a hazai botanikusok és az ELTE Füvészkert vezetőinek panteonjában.