Flora und Vegetation der Bahnhöfe Mitteleuropas

This paper is dealing with flora and Vegetation of railway stations in Central Europe. On the basis of floristical mapping of 63 railway stations statements are given to frequency of vascular plants and their bonds to railway stations. In the main therophytes and plants having an extensive system of underground runners are selected by weed control. The vegetation is described by about 300 plant sociological releves; high value is set on registration of frequent fragment communities. The number of species and communities does not depent on size and travel in the first place, but on dimension of unused areas. The significance of shut down railway stations for conservation of ruderal plant communities is pointed out. The examinations refer in the main to railway stations in eastern Lower Saxony (Federal Republic of Germany). Using the relevant literature and own observations from other territories it is tried however, to give a summary of flora and vegetation of railway stations in Central Europe.