Taxonomy of Rubus ser. Radula in the Czech Republic

Results of a taxonomic study of Rubus ser. Radula (Focke) Focke in the Czech Republic, based mainly on a comprehensive field survey, are presented. There are ten species in this country. Four of these species were already reported in the last Czech monograph on Rubus by J. Holub: R. epipsilos Focke, R. radula Weihe, R. rudis Weihe and R. salisburgensis Caflisch. The fifth species, R. indusiatus Focke, is also reported by this author, but not confirmed for the Czech flora because all herbarium specimens previously ascribed to it belong to a new species described herein as R. perpungens M. Lepší et al. The same species has been found also in adjacent parts of Bavaria and Austria. Between 2003 and 2009, four other species of bramble originally included in ser. Radula were described and also found in the Czech Republic: R. muhelicus Danner, R. bohemo-polonicus Trávn. et Ziel., R. perpedatus Žíla et H. E. Weber and R. passaviensis Žíla. We regard the former three species to be members of ser. Radula but reclassify R. passaviensis to ser. Vestiti (Focke) Focke based on its morphological characters, which are typical of that series. In addition, we confirm the original classification of R. silvae-norticae M. Lepší et P. Lepší in ser. Micantes, which is sometimes placed in ser. Radula, and consider it a typical member of ser. Micantes Sudre. Finally, we validate two provisional species names already mentioned in the biosystematic literature: R. jarae-cimrmanii M. Lepší et al., a species endemic to the Czech Republic, and R. vatavensis Žíla et Trávn., which occurs in the Czech Republic and Austria, both of which are members of ser. Radula. The morphology, ecology and overall distribution of the three newly described species are described, and a detailed determination key, references to protologues and type material, total distribution maps and morphological descriptions and drawings of all seven previously described species recognized in this study are provided.