Analyses of the flora of railway stations in the Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean areas of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The main aims of our study were (1) to determine the flora in the railway areas with special emphasis on the presence of neophytes ; (2) to describe the features of flora throughout analyses of taxonomic composition, chorotypes, life forms and the phytosociological character of species found at 15 stations in the Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean areas of the Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (SE Europe). According to their floristic composition, two broad groups of stations were recognized: i) stations in the most south of the area with higher annual precipitation and air temperature (cities of Ploce, Metkovic, Capljina, Mostar), and ii) stations in sub- Mediterranean rural areas located exclusively on the higher altitudes, including stations in three Dalmatian large cities (Zadar, Sibenik, Split). Altogether, 359 vascular plant taxa (336 species and 23 subspecies) were identified within 62 families and 230 genera. Therophytes, and Mediterraneans with a considerable proportion of Cosmopolitans were predominant. Neophytes contributed 14% of identified flora, the majority being invasive. In the phytosociological spectrum, the largest element was made up of taxa from Stellarietea mediae and Festuco valesiacae-Brometea erecti classes. The most studied railway stations, excluding those in large cities, retain a link with the floristic composition of the plant communities of its biogeographic context.