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Carpological and molecular variation among the 14 species of Erysimum distributed in Central Europe was examined. Special attention was paid to the group of six wallflowers ( E. hungaricum, E. pieninicum, E. wahlenbergii , E. virgatum , E. durum and E. hieracifolium ) that are morphologically difficult to distinguish forming a complex taxonomic group. It was found that the sculpturing of seed testa and the micromorphological patterns regarding the surface of silique septum obviously vary among the studied wallflowers, while seed dimensions and shapes overlap and are not adequately informative. The highest carpological dissimilarity was noted between E. cheiri and E. crepidifolium , whereas the taxa in the mentioned taxonomic complex were carpologically very similar, only E. virgatum was slightly different. The molecular techniques used here including SSCP and restriction endonuclease-digested rDNA amplified by PCR and combined with RAPD, strongly support the genetic distinctiveness of all Erysimum species studied. Moreover, the results obtained here indicate that the group of five out of six taxonomically problematic Erysimum species consist of distinct, closely related species and may constitute a complex of cryptic species.

Burial sites shaped in accordance with the traditions cherished by the local community are a foundation of cultural identity and valuable components of the cultural landscape. The aim of this research was to assess the implications of cemeteries for the biodiversity of local flora, taking account of cemeteries’ size, usage and location. The field research was conducted in the Roztocze region, which is among the less transformed areas of Europe, having a large proportion of natural and semi-natural landscapes. The investigated area covered 1314 km2 and included 78 cemeteries. We collected 5004 floristic samples, which form the basis of this study. The cemetery flora is rich (523 species, 75 families) and diverse (Marczewski–Steinhaus J-index below 40 %) and displays a high level of naturalness (60–80 % of all species are native). Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis based on extensive species characteristics, such as species number and cover, their origin, life-form and socio-ecological group, indicates that the use or non-use of burial sites is the most important factor shaping local flora. Isolation due to location in a protected area is ranked second in importance, while cemetery size is the least important factor. We discuss the importance of cemeteries for the protection of local biodiversity.

The most common and widespread species of Nasturtium in central Europe are the tetraploid Nasturtium officinale (2n = 4x = 32), the octoploid Nasturtium microphyllum (2n = 8x = 64), and their hexaploid hybrid Nasturtium × sterile (2n = 6x = 48). For the first time, flow cytometry was used to measure the genome size (2C DNA content) of these taxa. The highest nuclear DNA content was found in the octoploid N. microphyllum (2C = 1.43 pg) and the lowest in the tetraploid N. officinale (2C = 0.76 pg). Some differences in the amount of nuclear DNA were observed for the hexaploid N. × sterile (2C = 1.09–1.12 pg). Genome size analysis was thus proposed as a very useful tool for the identification of species of Nasturtium in their vegetative stage.