In 2025, Ranunculus ophioglossifolius Vill. was found in the Netherlands for the first time. The plants were growing in an old clay and sand quarry ('Tichelgaten'), now a nature reserve, near Buren in the Province of Gelderland. The species resembles R. flammula but is an annual with stalked and rounded lower stem leaves and with warty achenes. Ranunculus ophioglossifolius grows in open, species-rich reed vegetation, which is usually flooded in winter. It mainly occurs in countries around the Mediterranean and Black Sea; further north the species is rare and endangered. The species is not used as an ornamental and is not sold in garden centers. Therefore, the first occurrence of this species in the Netherlands is probably the result of a spontaneous settlement.
gelricum is an apomictic dandelion belonging to the section Palustria Dahlst. The species was described by van Soest in Acta Botanica Neerlandica in 1965. Until the year of publication, Taraxacum gelricum has been collected under the name T. limnanthes Hagl. subspecies limnanthoides Soest, a form which currently is considered to correspond with T. palustre (Lyons) Symons. Taraxacum gelricum and T. palustre are not always easy to distinguish; this is especially true for herbarium material that was collected a long time ago. In the field, however, the two species clearly differ from each other: well-developed plants of T. gelricum can easily be recognized by their leaves, which have straight, very pointed lobes, and they can be further distinguished from T. palustre by the loose (not appressed) outer involucre bracts, which are narrower than those of T. palustre and have scarious borders that also are much narrower. Taraxacum gelricum is a very rare species with a limited distribution area. In the Netherlands, it has been found with certainty in the Gelderse Vallei, in France in a few places in coastal areas along the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean, while in Germany an old 19th century record is known from the area around M & uuml;nster. There are no recent records of the species from France and it is considered to be extinct in Germany. In the Gelderse Vallei, Taraxacum gelricum was found in the 1960s in three locations, where it was growing in meadows as part of the fen meadow association Cirsio-Molinietum. As far as known, the species has disappeared from these meadows due to the enormous decline in surface and quality of this biotope. In the period 1977-1993 the species was found in two locations in the northern part of the Gelderse Vallei that were situated on the landside along the old dyke of the former Zuiderzee, of which the location near Nekkeveld was the richest. There the species grew in abundance, together with Triglochin maritima and Taraxacum palustre, in a subhalophilous wet meadow. Although Taraxacum gelricum is nowadays still present at Nekkeveld, it occurs there only in small numbers. Halophytes do not occur there anymore. The current vegetation can be assigned to the Ranunculo-Senecionetum aquatici, a Calthion palustris association. In this rather closed grassland, T. gelricum is limited to some bare spots caused by mowing. This also applies to T. akteum and T. anglicum, critical species that used to occur in many locations along the eastern coast of the Zuiderzee. The hay-meadow derives its botanical value mainly from the special dandelions flora. The presence of T. frugale, T. lucidum, and T. aequilobum also contribute to the botanical value of the site.
A description and two woodcuts of an orchid in the herbal of Matthias de Lobel (1581) appear to represent Gymnadenia densiflora, whose status as an independent species has recently been confirmed by genetic analysis. The pictured specimens came from the dunes near The Hague, the Netherlands. Data on the past and present occurrence of G. densiflora in the Dutch dunes are briefly summarized. There are occasional mentions of abundant presence in some locations, but nowadays it has become very rare in these dunes.
the summer of 2023, and again in 2024, a large population of an unidentified Centaurium was discovered at a recently excavated site along the River Meuse near Grevenbicht (Koeweide /Trierveld), the Netherlands. In 2024, morphologically identical plants were also found on the Belgian side of the river in Stokkem (Kerkeweerd), and in 2025 between Maasband and Meers, again on Dutch territory. The plants were morphologically highly uniform, fully fertile, and bore a striking resemblance to C. tenuiflorum, a species predominantly native to the Mediterranean region. However, several morphological traits also appeared intermediate between those of the native species C. erythraea and C. pulchellum. To determine the plants' identity, genetic analyses were conducted and their genome size was measured using flow cytometry. The results demonstrated that, despite their apparent resemblance and fertility, the plants do not belong to C. tenuiflorum, but to the hybrid between C. erythraea and C. pulchellum. This taxon has previously only been recorded in the British Isles, France, and Germany, and thus the recent finds represents a new record for both the Netherlands and Belgium.
Hieracium gulianum is described as a new species from the Netherlands. The description is accompanied by illustrations. The species is only known from a very restricted area near Geulhem and Valkenburg in South Limburg, where it occurs in open vegetation on steep limestone cliffs in the valley of the River Geul. The total number of individuals is estimated as being less than 200. Hence, the species is considered critically endangered according to the IUCN criteria. Hieracium gulianum faces two main threats: succession of the open vegetation in which the two populations occur and vegetation clearance of the rock faces in Geulhem.. We strongly plea for a special action plan to ensure the biodiversity value of the limestone cliffs in South Limburg, which provide a habitat that is very rare in the Netherlands.
