Chara connivens Saltzm. Ex. A. Braun 1835 found in the Åland archipelago - A new species to Finland

Convergent stonewort, Chara connivens Saltzm. Ex. A. Braun 1835, was found in the northern Åland archipelago in July 2004 and confirmed finally in September 2004 when the individuals had turned fertile. Only female plants were found. This is the first confirmed find of the species in Finland. C. connivens was found at a depth of 0.5-1.5 meter outside a shallow bay. The bottom substrate was silt mixed with small sized gravel and sand. The area was sheltered but had still a good water exchange. The water adjacent to the Chara meadows was very clear and weakly mesohaline. Herbarium examples are kept at the University of Helsinki (H) and Åbo Akademi University (TUR-A).