Current state and changes in Molinion meadows from Kostrze environs in Kraków

The study was carried out in the Kostrze housing estate in Kraków. In the 2015 vegetation season, 35 relevés were taken with the Braun-Blanquet method. The aim of the study was to compile the current characteristics of the vegetation in intermittently wet Molinia meadows and to identify changes that occurred within 25 years. The analysed meadow stands comprised 129 species of vascular plants. The relevés showed the presence of 17-50 species (on average 36). The characteristic species exhibited high abundance and high degrees of constancy. In total, 16 characteristic species of the alliance Molinion were recorded. Molinia caerulea, Galium boreale, and Sanguisorba officinalis were the dominant species in a majority of the analysed stands. The average number of species occurring in the purple moor-grass meadows in Kostrze is currently higher than 25 years ago (an increase from 28 to 36). The list of characteristic species has not changed substantially (three new species were noted: Betonica officinalis, Carex tomentosa, and Ophioglossum vulgatum), and the differences in the floristic composition are mainly related to sporadic species. Abandonment of land use triggered succession and a decline in the surface area of the analysed meadows. Therefore, species characteristic for other habitats, primarily tree and shrub seedlings as well as expansive grasses (Calamagrostis epigejos, Phragmites australis) have appeared in these meadow stands