Dryopteris affinis subsp. punctata (Dryopteridaceae) – a new taxon in the flora of Poland

The Dryopteris affinis group is represented worldwide by nine species (Hassler 2025), four of which have so far been recorded from Poland (Mirek et al. 2020). Within Dryopteris affinis s. str., five subspecies are recognized (Fraser-Jenkins 2007), of which D. affinis subsp. affinis and D. affinis subsp. jessenii have been reported from Poland (Tlałka 2015; Tlałka et al. 2024). On 11 October 2025, during a field survey conducted in the Beskid Mały Mountains, the third sub- species in Poland was discovered – Dryopteris affinis subsp. punctata .

This subspecies was found at a single locality situated on the south-western slope of Groń Jana Pawła II, below Przełęcz Midowicza Pass, in an open beech-fir-spruce-sycamore forest at an elevation of 840 m a.s.l., where eight individuals were observed. A characteristic feature distinguishing this subspecies from other members of the D. affinis group is the presence of distinct punctate depressions on the upper surface of the lamina above the sporangia, particularly conspicuous in living specimens.

Morphological characteristics of all species and subspecies of the D. affinis group currently occurring in Poland are presented in Table 1. The newly discovered locality represents the first record of this taxon for Poland as well as for the entire Carpathian range.