Pteridophytes of Turkey - A Revised Check-List and their Relationships to Europe and the West Himalaya

Abstract

We outline the phytogeographical relations of Turkish pteridophytes following revision of our previous check-list. Although mainly European, the Turkish fern-flora has c. 40% of its species and subspecies in common with or related to the West Himalayan European phytogeographical element. In the pteridophyte accounts of the recent Illustrated Flora of Turkey, it is clear that many specimens have been misidentified and various species incorrectly illustrated. In addition the extensive Turkish pteridophyte collections in international herbaria made by non-Turkish collectors, including those of the present first author, were not drawn upon and international consultation was intentionally not entered into. Although it is unfortunately not possible in the present circumstances to study and re-identify the great bulk of authentic specimens in Turkish herbaria cited in the Flora, we have reassessed some important records and corrected the many obvious anomalies in the Flora and we have added to the distributional data from our own critically studied collections. We therefore present an updated and taxonomically revised checklist with notes and additional distributions, including a few taxa overlooked in the Flora. We also treat the important subspecies which were omitted there. A new hybrid Asplenium and another of Cystopteris are described and a few necessary new combinations are made.