At the beginning of spring, the Medník National Natural Monument turns slightly purple. This is due to an inconspicuous plant with a very unusual name. Right, it is a dog’s tooth violets Erythonium dens-canis. I dare say that according to such a name, no one would guess that it is a delicate flower, usually peeking out from under a layer of dry leaves.
Dog’s tooth violet is critically endangered in Central Europe and is one of the legally protected plants in our country. However, scientists are still unable to agree on whether it is an allochthonous (non-native to our country) or autochthonous (original) species. Perhaps no plant in our country attract as much attention as dog’s tooth violet. The team of scientists from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences therefore decided not to leave anything to chance and look at its tooth.
The results brought interesting findings. The study was based on data collected over 20 years (1998-2018). During the study period, the minimum occurrence of dog’s tooth violets were recorded in the secondary spruce forests (51 plants / ha), in the oak-hornbeam forests the incidence was slightly higher (784 / ha) and the highest number of plants was recorded in the herb-rich beech forests (1774 plants / ha). The highest incidence, 2552 plants per hectare, was recorded in 2018. Dog’s tooth violet needs enough light to grow successfully, and these conditions are best ensured by an herb-rich beech forest.
Although such a high occurrence of this rare plant has not been observed in the secondary spruce forests and oak-hornbeam forests, it is equally important to care for them as a herb-rich beech forests and to support the long-term goal of forestry, to leave significant parts of specially protected areas to their own development. This development creates space for more resilient vegetation that can provide a wide range of ecosystem services. However, as well as spontaneous development, it is very important to apply specific management to ensure suitable vegetation conditions in terms of the successful existence of the dog tooth population, so that it does not become completely extinct in our territory.
There are countless critically endangered species in the world and these species need to be protected. It would be a great pity to lose such a diverse range of all plants and animals, where every species has a role to play in the ecosystem and is an integral part of all lives.
prof. RNDr. Stanislav Vacek, DrSc.
Prof. RNDr. Stanislav Vacek, DrSc., (* 1954) studied geobotany at the Faculty of Science, Charles University. He also worked as a researcher at the VÚLHM research station in Opočno. In 2005, he returned to university campus and in 2006 he was appointed professor of forestry at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, where he works to this day.
Prepared by: Kateřina Krulišová