Herbarium database of hungarian orchids I. Methodology, dataset, historical aspects and taxa

Abstract

The paper introduces the Herbarium Database of Hungarian Orchids which contains all records of orchid (Orchidaceae) specimens stored in the Hungarian herbaria. All data from the herbarium sheets were entered into the database, and secondary data were also added it; including a taxonomic revision in line with current theory. Only unique data was considered, yielding 7,658 records of 55 species from 452 collectors. It covers the whole territory of Hungary, and spans two centuries ranging from 1804 to the present. The temporal frequency of collections shows a peak in the middle of the 20^th century. The most effective collectors came from this era, and the name of Rezső Soó and his followers can be mentioned as most prominent. As in other countries, a decline in collection is seen in the last decades of the 20th century. A geographically uneven coverage of collections was observed, and the such heavily underrepresented regions could be identified with the help of the database. However, the value of collection for scientific purposes is emphasised, as can be readily seen in this database. Taxonomically, seven recently described species could be identified, which were collected before their description under other names more than one century ago. On the other hand, the earlier presence of species now considered to be extinct could be unequivocally proven, as in the case of Malaxis monophyllos. The multiple application of herbaria is illustrated by some examples, reinforcing unambiguously the usefulness of collecting for scientific purposes. Furthermore, new, as yet unforeseen, application of herbarium collections can be expected.