Wątrobowce (Hepaticae) Beskidu Żywiecko-Orawskiego (Karpaty Zachodnie) [Liverworts (Hepaticae) of the Beskid Żywiecko-Orawski Range (Polish Western Carpathians)]

The study area comprises two mountain groups – Wielka Racza and Pilsko – situated in western part of the Beskid Żywiecko-Orawski Range in Polish Western Carpathians. The flora of this area includes 111 species of liverworts and 2 species of hornworts. 81 species of liverworts and 2 species of hornworts were found in the area of the Wielka Racza group, 108 species of liverworts and 2 species of hornworts – in the area of the Pilsko group. The species new for the Polish part of the Beskid Żywiecki Range were found (27), as well as for the whole Range including the Slovakian part (22) and for the Western Beskids (2). Moreover, 20 species rare in the Western Beskids as well as 11 species rare in the whole area of the Western Carpathians were recorded. 6 species regarded as threatened in the Polish flora occur in the study area. Four of them belong to the category of endangered species (E): Fossombronia wondraczekii, Frullania tamarisci, Porella baueri and P. platyphylla , the remaining two belong to the category of vulnerable species (V): Geocalyx graveolens and Metzgeria conjugata . A particular attention should be payed to the species threatened on European scale: Lophozia ascendens (R category), Porella baueri (T) and Scapania parvifolia (T). The floristic analysis of habitats covered by liverworts as well as habitat groups of liverworts and habitat preferences of particular species arę presented in the paper. The phytogeographic characteristics of the flora is also given, including vertical and horizontal distribution of liverworts in the study area.