In climbing plants, fruits can be formed at different heights, depending on the height of external support. However, the effect of height on fruit and seed traits in invasive vines of Cucurbitaceae has not been intensively studied so far. In Europe, Echinocystis lobata, a North American member of Cucurbitaceae, is considered one of the most abundant invasive alien plants spreading in natural riparian forests, thickets, and tall herbs, whereas it is a rare species in urban woodlands. In this study, we tested the variability of selected fruit and seed traits of E. lobata in connection with habitat origin (natural, semi-natural, and anthropogenic), habitat type (using the EUNIS habitat classification), height (the distance between the fruit and the ground), and geographical position. The study was conducted in 2018 in 65 sites located in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia. In each study site, a random sample of 10 fresh mature fruits of E. lobata was collected from subsequent 0.50 m intervals of height. The length, the width, and the weight of the fresh fruits, as well as the total number of seeds and number of undeveloped seeds per fruit, were examined. Moreover, the well-developed seeds from selected study sites were weighed. The statistical analysis showed the significant effect of habitat origin, habitat type, and height on most of the studied fruit and seed traits. The largest range of height (from 0.00 to 4.00 m) was observed in two types of habitats (F—heathland, scrub, and tundra; and G—woodland, forest, and other wooded land). The total number of seeds per fruit was positively correlated with the length, width, and weight of the fresh fruits. The fruits were a little heavier and bigger in natural habitats located in the northeast of the study area. The distribution of fruits at different heights may contribute to better dispersal of seeds by animals and wind, and may also better protect the seeds from being eaten by granivorous animals. The defence against seed-eating animals is expected to be stronger in semi-natural habitats, as well as on banks and shores of inland surface waters, where the seed production is the highest. The influence of seed traits on seed germination and seedling survival in various habitats and their importance in the invasiveness of E. lobata require further study.

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Stanisław Batys Gorski (1802–1864) was a pharmacist, botanist, and entomologist. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, he headed the Vilnius University Botanical Garden and lectured on botany at the Imperial University of Vilnius and the Vilnius Medical and Surgical Academy. It is a known fact that the Herbarium of Vilnius University (WI) contains Gorski’s largest collection of vascular plants. In 2016, the nineteenth-century collection of bryophytes in WI was analyzed. The analysis of handwriting on specimen labels, as well as their style, showed that more than half of the collection had been compiled by Gorski. The purpose of this study is to present Gorski’s reassembled bryological collection, which contains 729 specimens of bryophytes and is stored in the Herbarium of Vilnius University.

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Conservation of endangered plant species requires a thorough knowledge about the present state of their populations and habitats as well as identification of current and potential threats. The aim of this research was to evaluate current distribution, state of habitats and the size of populations of Equisetum telmateia (Equisetaceae) in Lithuania as well as to reveal the main threats and requirement for the conservation of this species. Analysis of all available information revealed that E. telmateia currently occurs in seven localities in Lithuania, mainly in the southern part of the country. One formerly recorded population in the south-western part of Lithuania has become extinct. Two reported localities in the environs of Druskininkai (southern Lithuania) are doubtful, because the reports have been based on misidentified specimens. Locality of E. telmateia in the western part of the country probably has been provided erroneously and one locality in the south-eastern region of Lithuania should be verified and the identity of the species requires confirmation. Total area occupied by the stands of E. telmateia in Lithuania is 2.41 ha. Most frequently this species grows in river valleys or close to rivers and occupies alluvial forest habitats, which frequently creates complexes with habitats of mineral-rich springs or springs with tufa formations. Occasionally it grows in the habitats of forests of slopes, tall herb fringe communities and hay meadows. Sporulation of E. telmateia in Lithuania is poor: no fertile shoots were registered in two studied populations, whereas in other localities few fertile shoots were recorded. Evaluation of the status of E. telmateia in Lithuania applying the IUCN criteria resulted in its categorization as a vulnerable species. The main threats for E. telmateia are forest logging and changes in habitat hydrological regime, though wild animals, human activities and invasive plant species also have certain negative impact on the populations of this species.