The North American gall mite Aceria fraxiniflora was first recorded in Europe in southeast Hungary in 2017. Since then, it has shown a remarkably rapid spread on its host, the also North American green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). By the beginning of 2023 it has been recorded in eight Central-Eastern European countries. In 2022 it was recorded on the other North American ash (Fraxinus Americana) in Zagreb (Croatia) and in Szarvas Arboretum (SE Hungary). Possible reasons and outcomes of this spread are discussed.

This article presents some interesting floristic data from the survey of forests of the ‘Kis-Sarrét’ and the ‘Körös Plain’ microregions (East Hungary) between 2016 and 2024. This article focuses on species associated with mesophilic forests. The majority of the data presented are from the forests of the ‘Kis-Sarrét’ and the ‘Körös Plain’, including some surprising species new to the southern part of the ‘Tiszántúl’ region, including Corydalis pumila in Bélmegyer and Salvia glutinosa in Körösnagy­harsány. Several species typical of mesophilic forests were also found in these two areas, which are extremely rare in the southern part of ‘Tiszántúl’ region, of which only one or two current occurrences are known (e.g. Allium oleraceum, Carex remota, Hesperis sylvestris and Orchis purpurea). In addition to the most interesting data, I report the occurrence of all species associated with mesophilic forests that are not included in the maps of the online database of Hungarian vascu­lar plants, except for a few common species. The level of detail of the 42 species enumerated varies according to their importance. The more interesting species are described in more detail, while for the more common species, only brief occurrence data are given, with some comments where necessary.

Accurate identification of deciduous woody species in winter is challenging, and the misidentification can lead to ecological and management damage. This study aims to substantiate a diagnostic system for woody species based on macromorphological bark characters. First, we reviewed the literature on bark-based species identification to assess existing approaches and their limitations. Building on this, we identified informative macromorphological features of bark through both literature analysis and our experiences. These characters cover all developmental phases, including twigs, young bark, and mature bark, and are supported by new diagnostic terminology. Using this framework, we compiled a character set for 115 Central European woody taxa, providing practical, primarily qualitative traits that can be applied directly in the field. Finally, we developed and tested “Single-access Keys” as an alternative to conventional dichotomous keys, demonstrating their effectiveness in enabling flexible and rapid species recognition, even under atypical conditions or when only partial observations are possible. Our results highlight the value of bark macromorphology as a diagnostic tool and emphasize its potential for advancing thematic identification keys, as well as digital applications in forestry, taxonomy, and ecological monitoring.

A mikroszkopikus méretű gubacsatkák lágyszárú és fás szárú növények hajtásán, levelén, virágán és termésén élősködnek. Tápnövényeik nagyobb része a fás szárúak közül kerül ki. A közelmúltban amerikai kőrisen (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) megtalált Aceria fraxiniflora gubacsatka faj gyors terjedése szembetűnővé vált hazánkban. A jelenség vizsgálata során összesen tizenhét megyében, a főváros öt budai és kilenc pesti kerületében sikerült bizonyítani a faj jelenlétét. A felmérés során a faj gubacsai – Európában először – előkerültek a fehér kőrisről (F. americana) is. Az atkák szívogatásával érintett fákon a virágok, illetve termések gubacsosodásának mértéke potenciálisan felveti az inváziós amerikai kőris spontán terjedésének visszaesését is.