ARTEMISIA SANTONICUM SUBSP. PATENS IN SLOVAKIA: THE SAD STORY OF OBLIGATE HALOPHYTE ON THE NORTHERN EDGE OF ITS DISTRIBUTION RANGE

Historical and current occurrence of obligate halophyte Artemisia santonicum subsp. patens was studied in Slovakia during 2001-2012. The species has been occurred in the Podunajska nižina Lowland and the Vychodoslovenska nižina Lowland; 35 localities were found in total. The data from the Zahorska nižina Lowland is erroneous. Recently the number of localities decreased markedly and the species was confirmed only in 17 sites. Most of them (16) is situated in the Podunajska nižina Lowland and a single one has been confirmed in the Vychodoslovenska nižina Lowland. Based on our data, Artemisia santonicum subsp. patens belongs to the endangered (EN A2ac+4c) plants of the Slovak flora according to IUCN categories and criteria, because 50 % of locations were destroyed and survival prognosis is unfavorable for the most recent populations.