The BEOU herbarium as a valuable source of data on internationally important plant taxa in Serbia

Abstract

Herbarium collections are an essential source of verifiable data for floristic research and plant conservation. We surveyed the Herbarium of the University of Belgrade (BEOU) to document vascular plant taxa occurring in Serbia that are of international importance (listed in the Habitats Directive, the Bern Convention, CITES, and the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation). A total of 1,315 herbarium sheets representing 128 taxa were observed. Although these data confirm the presence of many taxa in Serbia, 28 taxa reported in the literature lack herbarium specimens collected in Serbia since 1950 and deposited in BEOU, indicating significant gaps in recent voucher-based evidence. More than half of the taxa are represented by fewer than ten specimens, limiting reliable assessment of their national distribution. The results highlight the importance of herbarium data for identifying knowledge gaps and supporting conservation planning, and the need for targeted field research and deposition of specimens.