This study analyzed the use of plants and fungi, some wild and some cultivated, in three municipalities of Lika-Senj County (Perušić, Gospić and Lovinac). The range of the study area was about 60 km. Forty in-depth semi-structured interviews were performed. The use of 111 plant taxa from 50 plant families and five taxa of mushrooms and fungi belonging to five families was recorded (on average 27 taxa per interview). The results showed quite large differences between the three studied areas in terms of ethnobotanical and ecological knowledge. In the Perušić area, (101 taxa mentioned), some people still use wild plants on a daily basis for various purposes. The most commonly noted plants are Prunus spinosa, Taraxacum spp., Rosa canina, Urtica dioica, Juglans regia and Fragaria vesca. In the Lovinac region, people used fewer species of plants (76 species mentioned). The most common species used there are: Rosa canina, Achillea millefolium, Cornus mas, Crataegus monogyna, Sambucus nigra and Prunus domestica. In the town of Gospić, the collection and use of plants was not so widespread, with only 61 species mentioned, the most common being: Achillea millefolium, Cornus mas, Sambucus nigra, Viola sp., Prunus domestica and Rosa canina. The medicinal use of herbal tea Rubus caesius and Cydonia oblonga against diarrhea was well known in the study area and is used medicinally, mainly in the rural parts of the Gospić area. The consumption of the Sorbus species (S. aria, S. domestica and S. torminalis) is an interesting local tradition in Perušić and Lovinac. Species that are difficult to find in nature today and are no longer used include: Veratrum sp., Rhamnus alpinum ssp. fallax, Gentiana lutea and Ribes uva-crispa. The use of Chenopodium album has also died out. We can assume that the differences in ethnobotanical knowledge between the three studied areas are partly due to minor differences in climate and topography, while other causes lie in the higher degree of rurality and stronger ties to nature in the Lovinac and Perušić areas. The most important finding of the study is the use of the parasitic fungus Taphrina pruni (Fuckel) Tul. as a snack. The use of Helleborus dumetorum for ethnoveterinary practices is also worth noting. The traditional use of plants in the study area shows many signs of abandonment, and therefore efforts must be made to maintain the knowledge recorded in our study.

During field research conducted from 2022 to 2023 on the island of Koločep, near the city of Dubrovnik, the spontaneous emergence of the non-native species Diospyros virginiana L. (common persimmon) was observed outside its primary cultivation area. This ornamental plant is part of the park dendroflora. D. virginiana began appearing spontaneously on the eastern side of the road between the two main settlements of the island, Gornje Čelo and Donje Čelo. It has established itself in an agricultural habitat within an abandoned olive grove covering an area of about 2900 m2. The plot, no longer under cultivation, is predominantly covered with ruderal and weedy vegetation, featuring an herbaceous ground layer identified as Dauco majori-Foeniculetum vulgaris. In this area, D. virginiana attains an average height of 1 to 2 meters, enveloping and suppressing the remaining Olea europaea L. trees. The plant spreads vegetatively and possesses a robust root system extending laterally for several meters, completely covering the area. Additionally, it has grown into a dry stone wall structure along the road. According to the author's proposal, it was recently entered in the FCD as 2.1.1.3, a potentially invasive species, to provide a basis for future monitoring. Considering its invasive potential and the environmental damage it may cause, the authors suggest the eradication of the species from the area before it spreads to surrounding regions.

Hrvatska ima više od 150 godina dugu tradiciju rasadničarske proizvodnje hortikulturnog ukrasnog bilja. Tijekom posljednjih desetljeća, razvoj ove djelatnosti bio je pod utjecajem gospodarskih prilika i uvoza biljnog materijala iz zemalja Europske unije s razvijenim rasadničarstvom, osobito Italije i Nizozemske. Korištenje sredstava iz Programa ruralnog razvoja posljednjih je godina omogućilo modernizaciju proizvodnje. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je analizirati sortiment sadnog materijala u 11 rasadnika – dva u kontinentalnom i devet u primorskom dijelu Hrvatske. Ukupno je analizirano 729 svojti s obzirom na autohtonost, alohtonost i invazivnost. U primorskoj Hrvatskoj zabilježeno je 15,6 % autohtonih i 84,4 % alohtonih svojti, od kojih je 1,3 % invazivno. U kontinentalnom dijelu udio autohtonih iznosi 20 %, alohtonih 80 %, uz 4,3 % invazivnih vrsta. Prema habitusu, u primorskim rasadnicima prevladavaju grmlje (34,5 %) i drveće (31,9 %), dok u kontinentalnima dominiraju drveće (38,3 %) i grmlje (37,4 %). Među najzastupljenijim autohtonim vrstama izdvajaju se Cupressus sempervirens L. i Lavandula angustifolia Mill., dok su među alohtonima najčešće Abelia × grandiflora (Rovelli ex André) Rehder i Lagerstroemia indica L. Rezultati ukazuju na ograničenu zastupljenost autohtonih vrsta i prisutnost invazivnih, što naglašava potrebu za poticanjem domaće proizvodnje i većim uključivanjem autohtonog biljnog materijala u rasadničarsku ponudu.

This research, conducted within the ornamental gardens of the Island of Lokrum and based on the original archival documents from Trieste State Archives (AST) and Austrian State Archives (OcStA) in Vienna, was aimed at creating the first unique list of horticultural plant taxon planted on the island during the reign of the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian I Iabsburg (1859-69). The research identified 213 taxa, including 184 species, 4 varieties, 8 hybrids and 17 cultivars. There were 193 allochthonous taxa, mostly originating from Central and South America (66), including 47 Asian species, 21 Australian species, 17 African species and 13 South American species. The Archive lists 20 taxa autochthonous in Croatia. While the number of the autochthonous taxa had apparently been higher, the historical documents have mostly recorded only the introduction of exotics. At that time, the following taxa were for the first time introduced in this part of the Adriatic, on the Island of Lokrum: Ananas comosus, Musa xparadisiaca, M. acuminata, Eucalyptus diversffolia, E. globulus, Araucaria araucana, A. columnaris, A. angustif-olia, A. bidwillii, A. cunninghamii, Bougainvillea spectabilis and Citrus reticulata. At the location of the ornamental gardens, 51 ornamental allochthonous taxa and 20 autochthonous taxa were identified today. Within this number, only 21 allochthonous taxa and 9 autochthonous taxa remain present since the period of Maximilian. According to the 2018-2019 inventory, 71 taxa have been inventoried within the ornamental gardens on Lokrum, belonging to 43 families and 64 genera. Due to lack of intensive maintenance of the gardens, the majority of allochthonous, exotic species failed to survive within the autochthonous island vegetation. The list of taxa from Maximilian's gardens presented in this paper and retrieved from the archival sources, will be the starting point of the restoration process that awaits these gardens.

In most countries of the world where citrus fruits are grown, including Croatia, several viruses and virus-like agents exist limiting the production and sale of citrus fruits. The most common among them is Citrus tristeza virus (CTV)...

The protection of landscape and biological diversity on small Mediterranean islands represents a significant challenge in the context of intensive anthropogenic pressure and land-use change. The aim of this study was to determine the composition of ornamental flora in private gardens on the island of Koločep (IPA, Natura 2000 site), the smallest inhabited island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic, with special emphasis on invasive (IAS) and potentially invasive (PIAS) plant species, and to analyse their relationship with landscape changes and property types. A total of 161 private gardens were analysed, representing all private gardens on the island. In total, 2095 plant records corresponded to 255 unique horticultural taxa from 82 families. Allochthonous species dominate in the gardens (73%). Private gardens represent the primary pathway for the introduction of IAS and PIAS taxa on the island. The taxa with the highest invasion intensity were Ailanthus altissima and Carpobrotus edulis, while among PIAS species, high invasive potential was observed for Mirabilis jalapa and Diospyros virginiana. The study highlights the need for systematic monitoring of ornamental flora and landscape transformation, and the promotion of horticultural practices focused on autochthonous species in gardens, in order to preserve island biological and landscape diversity.