New locality of Gentiana cruciata L. in the Strzyzowskie Foothills (Western Carpathians)

In 2006, ca. 60 individuals of Gentiana cruciata were found in the Strzyżowskie Foothills. Until recently, only one locality of the species in the area has been reported from Kołaczyce in the Wisłoka River valley by Knapp in the 19th century. The new locality is situated in the Wielopolka River valley on an S-SW-W slope with varied inclination. In total, 16 phytosociological relevés were taken with the use of the Braun-Blanquet method in patches comprising Gentiana cruciata. The patches were characterised by high proportions of species from the classes Molinio-Arrhenathereta, Festuco-Brometea, and Trifolio-Geranietea. Given the dominance of meadow species, the community was classified as a thermophilic fresh meadow from the alliance Arrhenatherion. An upward trend was noted in the analysed population, as the number of the individuals increased to ca. 160 in 2014