Satakunnan Kasvit [Flora of Satakunta, Finland]

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Language: Finnish, with bilingual figure legends and captions in English and Finnish

The vascular plant flora of the biogeographical province of Satakunta (St) is presented. The province is situated in the S part of W Finland: between ca. 60º40' and 62º20' of N latitude, ca. 180 km from S to N, and over 100 km inland from the coast of the Bothnian Sea. The highest hilltops of the NE rise ca. 200 m above sea level, just exceeding the uppermost shoreline of the post-glacial Baltic Sea. The present land uplift is ca. 6 mm per year in the S and 8 mm in the N. The salt content of outer sea is between 5 and 6 ‰, declining towards river mouths, especially that of the big Kokemäenjoki river with its floristically rich estuary.

Excluding Ranunculus auricomus and allied groups, Taraxacum, Hieracium and Pilosella, the number of native and archaeophytic species is ca. 680 and of newcomers almost 450 (the latter ones including ca. 150 cultivation escapes or relicts). In addition, 86 hybrids are reported.

The distribution and frequency of species are given by means of 5 by 5 km squares, according to the Finnish Uniform Coordinate System. Of these squares, 650 fall into Satakunta, entirely or partly. A 5 by 5 km square map is presented for the majority of plants. However, for a considerable number of rare newcomers (as well as of rare hybrids and apomictic microspecies) there is a list of squares at the end of the species text. For 82 species there is, in addition to the square map, a non-square map in larger scale showing finding places in more detail.

The species texts, in Finnish, begin with a rough overview of the plants occurrence in surrounding areas or more widely. Then the area within Satakunta with its important details is characterized. Ecology in the province is presented fairly profoundly, and how it connects to and explains the distribution pattern. Special attention is paid to increase and decline, based on old literature, herbarium specimens and the chronology of more recent observations. Common species often proved to be at least as interesting as the rare ones, as to distribution and its details, ecology, increase or decline, etc.

Important sources (herbaria, literature, archives) are mentioned in the text. As to rare species and a number of commoner but interesting ones all finds with sources are listed after the ordinary text.

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