Orthotrichaceous mosses (orthotricheae, orthotrichaceae) of the genera Lewinskya, Nyholmiella, Orthotrichum, Pulvigera and Ulota Contributions to the bryophyte flora of Georgia 1

A collection made by Hans-Joachim Zündorf between 2004 and 2014 in Georgia was studied, comprising 383 specimens of orthotrichaceous mosses from 105 different localities. The study yielded a total 27 species in this group: seven species of Lewinskya, two of Nyholmiella, 13 of Orthotrichum, one of Pulvigera as well as four species of Ulota. Ten species are new records for the bryophyte flora of Georgia: Lewinskya sordida, L. vladikavkana, Nyholmiella gymnostoma, Orthotrichum consobrinum, O. hispanicum, O. patens, O. philibertii, O. stellatum, Ulota coarctata and U. intermedia. Our records of Orthotrichum hispanicum, O. stellatum and Ulota intermedia are also the first for the wider Caucasus region. The number of known species of the tribe Orhotricheae in Georgia has thus been raised to 30. The diversity of species in this group is very similar to the neighboring region of NE Turkey. The high number of species encountered during the study reveals Georgia as a very important area for Orthotrichaceae.