Festuca vojtkoi, a new Festuca species from Hungary

Festuca specimens were collected on several spots in the Bükk mountains (Northern Hungarian Mountain Range, NE Hungary) in May 2002. On the area called “Galya-kopasza”, within the occurrence spot of Armeria elongata - made up by gabbro as basal rock -, interesting Festuca specimens belonging to the Festuca rupicola group of Festuca ovina agg. were also observed. On the basis of histological parameters of the leaves, namely long hairs, several among them differed from the typical Festuca rupicola specimens. Each specimen, and the different aged leaves within the specimens have the same structure. Describing the taxon as a separate species is confirmed, besides the unique structure of the leaves, also by deviations in the morphology of the panicle. Identification in the field in vegetative state is helped by the extremely long hairs on the abaxial epidermis of the leaves. The chromosome number of the specimens is 6n = 42. The plant was named after András Vojtkó, excellent botanist, great researcher of the flora and vegetation of the Bükk mountains. Locus classicus of the taxon is “Galya-kopasza” (Bükk Mts, NE Hungary). Type specimens were deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum (BP)