New records of Chara connivens P. Salzmann ex A. Braun 1835 – an extremely rare and protected species in Polish brackish waters

The stonewort Chara connivens was rediscovered in the Vistula Lagoon in 2011, almost 35 years after its last record. In 2012, the species was recorded for the first time in the Szczecin Lagoon. Chara connivens occurred at shallow (0.5–1.2 m) sandy-muddy and muddy bottoms of small embayments. In the Vistula Lagoon, the stonewort was represented by single small specimens, while in the Szczecin Lagoon, it formed dense and extensive patches.