NATURA MONTENEGRINA, PODGORICA, 2, 2003, 9-17

NATURA MONTENEGRINA, PODGORICA, 2, 2003, 9-17 

UDK 581.9:582.321(497.1)(045)=111 

A CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE MOSS FLORA 

OF THE TARA RIVER CANYON 

Snežana DRAGIĆEVIĆ 1) , Milan VELJIĆ 2) 

Petar D. MARIN 3) , Branimir PETKOVIĆ 4) 

S y n o p s i s 

During the three days’ rafting in the Tara River Canyon, we have collected 71 species 

of mosses, out of which 57 proper mosses and 14 liverworts. 

The liverwort Porella arboris-vitae (With.) Grolle is a new species for the flora of 

Montenegro. 

Sinopsis 

PRILOG POZNAVANJU FLORE MAHOVINA KANJONA TARE 

U toku trodnevnog splavarenja kanjonom rijeke Tare sakupili smo ukupno 71 vrstu mahovina, 

od čega 57 pravih mahovina i 14 jetrenjača. Jetrenjača Porella arboris-vitae (With.) 

Grolle je nova vrsta za floru Crne Gore. 

1) Mr Snežana DRAGIĆEVIĆ, Natural History Museum of Montenegro, Podgorica, Trg Nikole 

Kovačevića 7, PODGORICA, CRNA GORA. 

2) 3) 4) 

Dr Milan VELJIĆ, Prof. Dr Petar D. MARIN Prof. Dr Branimir PETKOVIĆ, Institut za 

botaniku i botanička bašta “Jevremovac”, BEOGRAD, SRBIJA.

10 Natura Montenegrina, 2/2003 

INTRODUCTION 

The Tara River is the longest river in Montenegro, since, from its fountainhead in the 

foothill of Komovi and Žijovo to the place where it joins the Piva, it flows in its entire course 

of 150 km, through Montenegro (Map 1). The Tara River’s drainage basin surface area 

amounts 2,040 km 2 , its average altitude is 1,390 m, whereas the fall is very pointed, 1,215 m 

at the fountainhead and 435 m at the mouth. Downstream of the Bistrica, the Tara flows 

through a deep valley, which from that spot to Šćepan polje (Field), in length of 78 km, has 

canyon character. Nearby the Obzir, on the right bank and Durmitor, on its left bank, the sides 

of the canyon descend almost vertically for 1,200-1,300 m (F u š t i ć , 2000). 

For its specific traits, primarily water quality and a unique biota, the Tara was included 

in 1977 in the Program “Man and Biosphere " and listed in the ecological reserve of biosphere 

of the World, and that way protected by the internationally recognized Convention 

(Nikolić , 2000). 

Tara as the deepest and the sharpest river valley in Europe, (C e r o v i ć , 1984), belongs 

to bryologically insufficiently studied areas. The mosses of this canyon were studied by 

Grgić (1989), who investigated the "participation of bryophytes in the composition of 

predominantly thermophilous forest associations (Fagetum moesiace montanum Bleč. et 

Lakušić 1970, Carpino orientalis-Quercetum cerris Lakušić 1975, Querco-Ostryetum 

carpinifoliae Ht 38, Seslerio autumnalis-Fagetum moesiace Blečić et Lakušić, 1970), of some 

rock associatios developed within or along the riverbed, periodically or permanently under the 

powerful action of the river stream". 

The material has been collected on the following localities: 

- Radovan luka (the left bank), 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca (the left bank), 

- The Rivulet Ljutica, right confluent of Tara river, 

- Bijela vrela (karstic spring – water that found the passage from Crno jezero (Black 

Lake) by the underground flow to the sheer rocks on the rights side of the Tara 

canyon) and 

- Bailovića sige (Stalactites) (fig. 1) (from the Cave Bučavice the water falls from 

some thirty meters in form of almost 150 m long water curtain. The background is composed 

of thick layers of travertine densely overgrown by mosses). 

On the localities: Radovan luka, The Rivulet Ljutica, Bijela vrela (springs) and 

Bailovića sige (stalactites) we have sampled the materials from the swater and its closer 

surrounding. Along the road from Radovan luke to the village Tepca, the material was being 

collected in one part in a beech-oak tree forest, in other along the very trail towards the 

vilage. 

The following biological literature has been used for the determination: P a v l e t i ć 

(1968), P e t r o v (1975), S m i t h (1978, 1990). The nomenclature has been arranged accord-

DRAGIĆEVIĆ, S. et al.: A Contribution to the Knowledge of the Moss Flora 11 

ing to G r o l l (1983), for the liverworts, and according to C o r l e y et al (1981) and C o r l e y 

and C r u n d w e l l (1991) for the proper mosses. The list of recorded species has by the Alphahabetical 

order both for the proper mosses and for the liverworts. 

The herbarium is situated in the moss collection of the Natural History Museum in 

Podgorica. 

Map 1. Studied 

area 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 

Investigating the moss flora of the Tara River Canyon on the five previously mentioned 

localities we have recorded 71 species from the classes Bryopsida and Marchantiopsida. The 

group of the proper mosses is composed of 57 species, and 14 liverworts. The holarctic species 

are mainly presented, although there also are sub cosmopolitans, cosmopolitans and 

other. 

Making an insight into the moss lists for Serbia and Montenegro by S a b o v l j e v i ć 

(1998) and S a b o v l j e v i ć & Stevanović (1999) we have stated that Porella arboris-vitae


(With.) Grolle, (** in the table) collected in Radovan luka from the ground, is a new species 

for the bryoflora of Montenegro. 

By the moss flora investigation in the Tara River Canyon there have been recorded as 

many as 99 taxons. The best represented from the class Bryopsida are the genera Bryum, 

Neckera, Thuidium and Tortella with 4 each, whereas the genera Anomodon, Brachythecium, 

and Eurhynchium have 3 representatives each. The most numerous liverworts are those of the 

genus Porella (3 taxons), than Frullania, Metzgeria and Pellia with 2 representatives each. 

By the previous investigations by G r g i ć (1989) there were recorded 47 taxons of the 

proper mosses and 8 of liverworts. The largest number of those taxons has been recorded also 

on the newly investigated localities, whereas 23 taxons of the proper mosses: Amblystegium 

sp., Anomodon attenuatus (Hedw.) Hub., Anomodon rugelii (C. Mull.) Keissl., Bryum weigelii 

Spreng., Campylium stellatum (Hedw.) J. Lange & C. Jens., Cinclidotus riparius (Brid.) Arnott., 

Dicranella heteromalla (Hedw.) Schimp., Ditrichum cylindricum (Hedw.) Grout, Drepanocladus 

aduncus (Hedw.) Warnst., Eurhynchium crassinervium (Wils.) Schimp., E. pulchellum 

(Hedw.) Jenn., E. striatum (Hedw.) Schimp., Homalia webbiana (Mont.) Schimp., 

Homalothecium philippeanum (Spruce) B., S. & G., Hymenostylium recurvirostrum (Hedw.) 

Dix., Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw., Neckera pennata Hedw., Orthotrichum sp., Pottia bryoides 

(Dicks.) Mitt., Pseudolescea incurvata B., S. & G., Tortella fragilis (Drumm.) Limpr., 

Tortella nitida (Lindb.) Broth., Weissia triumphans (De Not.) M. Hill. and three liverworts: 

Frullania tamarisci (L.) Dum., Metzgeria furcata (L.) Dum., Porella platyphylla (L.) Pfeiff. 

have not been confirmed. 

The newly recorded species (41) on the Tara River have been designated in the table by 

asterisk (*). 

MUSCI 

*1. Aloina aloides (K. F. Schultz) Kindb. 

-Radovan luka; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

*2. Amblystegium serpens (Hedw.) B., S. & G. 

- Along the road from Radovan luke to Tepca; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

3. Anomodon viticulosus (Hedw.) Hook. & Tayl. 

- Radovan luka; from the ground; beech-oak tree forest; Aug. 1998. 

- The River Ljutica; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

*4. Atrichum undulatum (Hedw.) P. Beauv. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

*5. Aulacomnium palustre (Hedw.) Schwaegr. 

- Bijela vrela (White springs); from a sandy substrate; Aug. 1998. 

*6. Barbula unguiculata Hedw. 


*7. Brachythecium glareosum (Spruce) B., S. & G. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the rocks; Aug. 1998. 

8. Brachythecium rivulare B., S. & G. 

- Bailovića sige; from the rocks; Aug. 1998. 

*9. Bryoerythrophyllum recurvirostrum (Hedw.) Chen. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the ground; Aug. 1998.


*10. Bryum capillare Hedw. 


11. Bryum pseudotriquetrum (Hedw.) Gaertn., Meyer & Scherb. 

-Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

- Bailovića sige; from the ground; Aug. 1998 

*12. Bryum torquescens B. & S. 

- Radovan luka; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

13. Cinclidotus aquaticus (Hedw.) B. & S. 


14. Cinclidotus fontinaloides (Hedw.) P. Beauv. 

- The Ljutica River; from the rocks in the water; Aug. 1998. 

*15. Climacium dendroides (Hedw.) Web. & Mohr. 


*16. Cratoneuron filicinum (Hedw.) Spruce 

- Bijela vrela; from the rocks by the water; Aug. 1998. 

17. Ctenidium molluscum (Hedw.) Mitt. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the rocks, ground; Aug. 1998. 

- Bailovića sige; from the rocks by the water; Aug. 1998. 

*18. Dicranella varia (Hedw.) Schimp. 


19. Dicranum scoparium Hedw. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from beech-oak tree forest; from the 

ground; Aug. 1998. 

*20. Didymodon falax (Hedw.) Zander 


*21. Didymodon rigidulus Hedw. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the tree bark; Aug. 1998. 

*22. Ditrichum flexicaule (Schwaegr.) Hampe 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca;from the beech-oak tree forest; from 

the ground, a rotten tree; Aug. 1998. 

*23. Encalypta streptocarpa Hedw. 


*24. Entodon concinnus (De Not.) Par. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the rocks; Aug. 1998. 

*25. Eucladium verticillatum (Brid.) B., S. & G. 


*26. Eurhynchium hians (Hedw.) Sande Lac. 

-Radovan luka and along the road to Tepca; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

27. Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw. 

- Bijela vrela; from the rocks by the water; Aug. 1998. 

*28. Fissidens cristatus Wils. ex Mitt. 

- Bailovića sige; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

29. Grimmia pulvinata (Hedw.) Sm. 


30. Homalothecium sericeum (Hedw.) B., S. & G.


- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the beech-oak tree forest and 

outside it; from the ground, from a dry tree twig; Aug. 1998. 

31. Hygrohypnum luridum (Hedw.) Jenn. 

- Bailovića sige; from the ground; Aug 1988. 

- The Ljutica River; from the ground; Aug 1988. 

32. Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B., S. & G. 


33. Isothecium alopecuroides (Dubois) Isov. 


34. Leucodon sciuroides (Hedw.) Schwaegr. 

- Along the road from Radovan luke to Tepca and in Radovan luka; from the ground 

and bark of a fallen tree; Aug. 1998. 

*35. Mnium hornum Hedw. 

- The Ljutica River; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

- Bailovića sige; from the rocky ground by the water, from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

36. Neckera complanata (Hedw.) Hub. 

- Along the road from Dragovića luka to Tepca, from beech-oak tree forest; from 

the rocks; Aug. 1998. 

37. Neckera crispa Hedw. 

- Bailovića sige; from the rocky ground by the water, from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

*38. Orthotrichum speciosum Nees 

- Along the road from Dragovića luka to Tepca; from the beech bark; Aug. 1998. 

39. Palustriella commutata (Hedw.) Ochyra 

- Bailovića sige; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

*40. Philonotis marchica (Hedw.) Brid. 


41. Plagiomnium affine (Bland.) T. Kop. 

- Bijela vrela; from the sandy substrate; Aug. 1998. 

*42. Plagiomnium undulatum (Hedw.) T. Kop. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca and in Radovan luka; from the bark of a 

rotten tree, sfrom the ground in the forest; 1998. 

*43. Polytrichum juniperinum Hedw. 

- Bijela vrela; from the ground; Aug. 1998. 

*44. Pterigynandrum filiforme Hedw. 

- Bijela vrela; from a sandy substrate; Aug. 1998. 

- Radovan luka; from theground; Aug. 1998. 

45. Rhynchostegium riparioides (Hedw.) Card. 


46. Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus (Hedw.) Warnst. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca, from the beech-oak tree forest and 

out of it, oak tree bark of a rotten tree; Aug. 1998. 

47. Schistidium apocarpum (Hedw.) B. & S. 

- Along the road from Radovan luke to Tepca; from the stones; Aug. 1998. 

*48. Scleropodium purum (Hedw.) Limpr. 

- Bailovića sige; from the rocky ground by the water; Aug. 1998. 

*49. Thamnobryum alopecurum (Hedw.) Nieuwl.


- Bailovića sige; from the rocky ground; Aug. 1998. 

*50. Thuidium abietinum (Hedw.) B., S. & G. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca, from ther beech-oak tree forest; from 

the ground; Aug.1998. 

51. Thiudium erectum Duby 

- Radovan luka; from the ground; Aug.1998. 

*52. Thuidium philibertii Limpr. 


*53. Thuidium recognitum (Hedw.) Lindb. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the ground; Aug.1998. 

*54. Tortella flavovirens (Bruch.) Broth. 


55. Tortella tortuosa (Hedw.) Limpr. 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca, from beech -oak forest; from the 

rotten tree's bark, from the rocks; Aug. 1998. 

*56. Tortula marginata (B. & S.) Spruce 


57. Tortula ruralis (Hedw.) Gaertn., Meyer & Scherb. 

- Along the roaqd from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the rocks; Aug. 1998. 

HEPATICAE 

1. Chiloscyphus polyanthos (L.) Corda 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca; from the rotten tree's bark; Aug. 

1998. 

2. Conocephalum conicum (L.) Underw. 

- Bijela vrela; from the ground; Aug.1998. 

- Bailovića sige; from the ground; Aug.1998. 

3. Frullania dilatata (L.) Dum. 

- Radovan luka; from the beech bark; Aug. 1998. 


*4. Marchantia polymorpha L. 

- Bijela vrela; from the sandy substrate; Aug. 1998. 

5. Metzgeria conjugata Lindb. 

- The Ljutica River; from the ground; Aug.1998. 

*6. Pellia endiviifolia (Dicks.) Dum. 


*7. Pellia epiphylla (L.) Corda 

- Bijela vrela; from the ground; Aug.1998. 


8. Plagiochilla asplenioides (L. emend. Tayl.) Dum. 


- Thje Ljutica River; from the ground; Aug.1998. 

**9. Porella arboris-vitae (With.) Grolle 


*10. Porella obtusata (Tayl.) Trev.



*11. Preissia quadrata (Scop.) Nees 


*12. Radula complanata (L.) Dum. 


- Radovan luka and along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca, from beech-oak 

tree forest and out of it, from the fallen tree’s bark; Aug 1998. 

*13. Reboulia hemispaerica (L.) Raddi 


14. Scapania aspera M. et H. Bern 

- Along the road from Radovan luka to Tepca, from the beech-oak tree forest; from 

the basrk of a rotten tree; Aug. 1998. 

Fig. 1. 

Bailovića sige, Tara river. 

foto: M. Karaman

DRAGIĆEVIĆ, S. et al.: A Contribution to the Knowledge of the Moss Flora 17 

LITERATURE 

Cerović , B. (1984): Durmitor i kanjon Tare. Vodič. Nacionalni park Durmitor. Žabljak. 

C o r l e y , M.F.V., Crundwell, A.C, Dull, R., Hill, M.O. & Smith, A.J.E. (1981): Mosses of 

Europe and the Azores: an annotated list of species, with synonyms from the recent literature. 

J. Bryol., 11: 609-689. 

C o r l e y , M.F.V., Crundwell, A.C, 1991: Additions and amendments to the mosses of Europe 

and the Azores. J. Bryol. 16: 337-356. 

Fuštić , B, Đ uretić , G. (2000): Zemljišta Crne Gore. Univerzitet Crne Gore. Biotehnički 

institut. Podgorica.pp.626. 

G r o l l e , R. (1983): Hepatics of Europe including the Azores: an annotated list of species, 

with synonyms from the recent literature. J. Bryol, 12: 403-459. 

Grgić , P. (1989): Karakteristike učesća briofita u nekim reliktnim kanjonskim biocenozama. 

Glas. Rep. Zav. zast. Prirode-Prirodnjačkog Muzeja, Titograd, 7: 207-219. 

Nikolić , S. (2000): Priroda i turizam Crne Gore. Ekološka pitanja zaštite i razvoja. Republički 

zavod za zaštitu prirode Crne Gore. Podgorica. 

Pavletić , Z: (1968): Flora mahovina Jugoslavije (klj.) Inst. za bot. Sveuč. u Zagrebu. Zagreb. 

P e t r o v , S. (1975): Bryophyta Bulgarica clavis diagnostica. Academia Scientiarum Bulgarica. 

Sofia, pp. 536. 

Sabovljević , M. (1998): Checkslist of hepatics of the Federal Republic Yugoslavia. 

Lindbergia, 25: 138-133. 

Sabovljević , M. & Stevanović , V. (1999): Moss conspectus of the Federal Republic 

Yugoslavia. Flora Mediterranea, 9: 65-95. 

S m i t h , A.J.E. (1978): The Moss flora of Britain and Ireland. University press. Cambridge. 

S m i t h , A.J.E. (1990) The Liverworts of Britain and Ireland. University press. Cambridge.

18 Natura Montenegrina, 2/2003

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