Der Schafstein in der Rhön, ein Bedeutender Lebensraum für Flechten in Hessen

• Published in: Herzogia
• Main Author: Dietmar Teuber
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Bryological and Lichenological Association for Central Europe 2015
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.13158/heia.28.2.2015.567

Teuber, D. 2015. The Schafstein Nature Reserve in the Rhön Mountains, an important habitat for lichens in Hesse (Germany). — Herzogia 28: 567–583.The Nature reserve Schafstein is located in the northeastern part of the Rhön Moutains. It is one of the oldest Nature reserves in Hesse and was already placed under protection around 1911 due to diverse and natural vegetation science and for geological reasons. The sice is characeterized by extensive boulder screens and old-growth forests. In 2013 an inventory of the lichen flora was conducted. Taking into account the literature to date 207 species of lichens and 17 lichenicolous or lichenimorphus fungi have been recorded from that area. Currently, 199 species were found. Of high importance among the lichenological aspects are the large periglacial basaltic block fields with numerous borealmontane or arctic-alpine relict species. Many of this species are not known elsewhere in Hesse. The almost natural ravine forests on the edge of the block fields were hardly affected by forestry in the past. They house numerous rare epiphytes, including some lichen species considered to be indicator species for old growth forests.