Bryophyte checklist of Rize, North-East Turkey

Abstract

Bryophytes of Rize Province are listed, basing on data published between 1955 and 2014. This is the first list of Anthocerotophyta, Marchantiophyta, and Bryophyta from Rize. The checklist includes 45% of the total hornwort and liverwort flora of Turkey (31 families, 46 genera, 81 species and 2 subspecies), and 42 % of its moss flora (44 families, 126 genera, 309 species, 4 subspecies and 14 varieties). The largest number of species have Orthotrichum, Sphagnum, Grimmia, Racomitrium, Brachythecium, Dicranum, Ptychostomum, and Tortula. In liverworts, Scapania, Jungermannia, and Lophozia are the richest in species number, and in hornworts Anthoceros is the only genus represented in the list. Pottiaceae, Brachytheciaceae, Grimmiaceae, Jungermanniaceae, and Scapaniaceae are largely represented in Rize. In the light of the presented checklist, Rize is one of the most diverse areas for bryophytes in Turkey. The level and number of knowledge on bryophytes occurring in Rize is expected to increase with further investigations in less studied areas of the province.