Occurrence and diagnostic value of the Polypodium vulgare L. complex in the communities of Asplenietea trichomanis (Br.–Bl. in Meier & Br.–Bl. 1934) Oberd. 1977 class in Polish Sudety Mts and their foreland

In 2009-2011, 298 relevés of plant rocky communities of Asplenietea trichomanis class were collected in the Sudety Mts and their foreland. Polypodium vulgare occurred in 93 relevés, i.e. in about one third of collected material, however the distribution and abundance of the species were not equal in all syntaxonomical units. The species was found in 56% of relevés representing Hypno-Polypodion vulgaris alliance, in 26% of relevés of Asplenion septentrionalis alliance, in the same percentage in Asplenion cuneifolii phytocoenoses, and in less than 10% of all the relevés made on calcareous substrata. Thus, P. vulgare should be considered as a character species of the Androsacetalia vandelii order rather than the Asplenietea trichomanis class as a whole. It is especially abundant in phytocoenoses belonging to the Hypno-Polypodion vulgaris alliance and dominating in Hypno-Polypodietum associations, in which it reaches the highest coverage (10% up to 80%). The results indicate that the most important factors which determine the occurrence of P. vulgare in rocky communities are the type of the geological substrate (non-calcareous rocks) and shade, generally exceeding 60%. Occurrence of  Polypodium ×mantoniae has been confirmed so far in the phytocoenoses belonging to the association Asplenio-Polypodietum and Asplenietum cuneifolii. It may occur in ass. Woodsio-Asplenietum septentrionalis as well.