Fig. 1. New genus and species records for Montenegro: A – Isoëtes gymnocarpa, general appearance of unearthed plant, B, C – Utricularia × neglecta, B – isolated corolla showing large flat lower lip, view from above, C – isolated corolla showing short straight spur and nearly right angle between upper and lower lips, lateral view. Scale: B, C – 1 cm. All photos were taken from the voucher specimens by R. E. Romanov.

This habitat is characterized by the specific water regime, which implies an alternation of wet (winter, spring) and dry phases (summer and autumn), just like that in the meadows in the immediate vicinity with mosaic habitats and communities of wet grasslands and pastures which host Mediterranean therophytes and geophytes. These agricultural lands are pastures grazed by livestock (sheep, cows) or partly arable land, with other negative impacts in the immediate environment (like cutting of surrounding trees and shrubs and the associated physical disturbance). The cover abundance of Isoëtes was low, not exceeding 20%. The plants were spotted within an area of less than 10 square meters.

The locality is currently outside the Nature Park Ulcinjska Salina, but because of the presence of this rare species of Isoëtes, it should be protected by the Park area being extended to include it.

Isoëtes gymnocarpa is close to I. histrix Bory (for its terrestrial habitat, and for the presence of phyllopodia and tuberculate megaspores), the main diagnostic character being the length of phyllopodia lateral teeth (not longer and thinner than the central tooth as in I. histrix, but as long and as thick as the central tooth, cf. Troia & Greuter 2014, 2015a, 2015b). The group needs further investigation, but we follow here the taxonomic view of Troia & Greuter (2015a) with I. gymnocarpa = I. sicula Tod. = I. subinermis (Gennari) Cesca & Peruzzi. The taxon so circumscribed is spread around the Mediterranean area, from the Iberian Peninsula to Anatolia: the population here reported is the northernmost along the Adriatic coasts, both in the Balkan Peninsula and in Italy. A previous report of I. histrix for southern Albania (Barina et al. 2013) should be checked to assess if it belongs to I. histrix or to I. gymnocarpa.

Isoëtes gymnocarpa should be recognized as indigenous to Montenegro because no cases of non-native species are known for this genus. The inconspicuous general habit of terrestrial Isoëtes, having the appearance of sterile monocots, can be a possible explanation why species of this genus were not spotted in Montenegro before.

Utricularia × neglecta Lehm. (Fig. 1B, C): Morača River, the lower reaches, the island of Vranjina, the wetland of Bakine Tigle (BT), 19 VI 2023, 42.28217 N, 19.15145 E, 4 m a.s.l., 19 VI 2023, leg: RR, det: RR (NHMM); BT, small floodplain pool, 42.28746 N, 19.15261 E, 5 m a.s.l., 19 VI 2023, leg: RR, det: RR (NHMM). The cover abundance was low, not exceeding 20 % in both cases.

This hybrid is widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World (Taylor 1989, Uotila 2013, Bobrov et al. 2022, http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/). For a long time, it was reported as U. australis R.Br. It was mentioned from Montenegro, from Lake Skadar, based on images of sterile plants, not showing the leaf-teeth bristle character (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/31338617), a trait only visible with microscopy. Moreover, the use of solely this character can be unreliable (Taylor 1989). Therefore, our records are either the first verified ones for Montenegro, or else can be recognized as a confirmation of an earlier uncheckable record. The infrequent and short period of flowering, usually associated with habitats difficult of access, hampers reliable recording of Utricularia species. This hybrid seems to be indigenous to Montenegro; no cases of introduction are known for it in the Balkan Peninsula.