EPPO Global Database

EPPO Reporting Service no. 05 - 2021 Num. article: 2021/115

Lockdown botany in 2020: alien plants in Ukraine


During 2020, although the pandemic severely restricted surveys for plant species in Ukraine, some limited opportunities arose in Kyiv City and Kyiv Region in the northern central part of Ukraine.  In total, 10 alien plant species are reported along with note on their occurrence.


Species

Family

Origin

Notes on occurrence 

Amaranthus spinosus

Amaranthaceae

S. America

Small population of several plants along roadside

Artemisia tournefortiana

Asteraceae

Asia

Ruderal sites, abandoned buildings and along tram line

Chenopodium ucrainicum

Chenopodiaceae

Uncertain 

Ruderal site under willow trees and alongside fences

Celastrus orbiculatus

Celastraceae

Asia

Large population naturalised in forest of Pushcha-Vodytsya

Datura innoxia

Solanaceae

North and Central America

Semi-escaped plants in Kyiv from cracks at the base of stone walls

Dysphania ambrosioides

Chenopodiaceae

North America

Escaped from cultivation in Gryshko Natioanl Botanical Gardens, several dozen plants persisting for at least 2 years

Erechtites hieraciifolius

Asteraceae

Americas

Pine forest near Kyiv 

Mesembryanthemum × vascosilvae

Aizoaceae


Several locations in Kyiv - semi-escaped in neglected flower beds

Phytolacca americana

Phytolaccaceae

North America

Well established colony of the species in the forest of Pushcha-Vodytsya in the North-West of Kyiv city

Thladiantha dubia

Cucurbitaceae

Asia

Large dense escaped colonies in ruderal habitats in the neighbourhoods of Lukianivka



Sources

Mosyakin SL, Mosyakin AS (2021) Lockdown botany 2020: some noteworthy records of alien plants in Kyiv City and Kyiv Region. Ukrainian Botanical Journal 78(2), 96–111.