First report of Amaranthus palmeri in Morrocco
Amaranthus palmeri (Amaranthaceae - EPPO A2 List) is a dioecious summer annual species native to North America. In the EPPO region, it is established in a few countries and transient in several others. In 2020 several plants of A. palmeri were observed in Morocco (Rabat) in an irrigated maize (Zea mays) field. These A. palmeri plants were flowering and seeding, with stems between 2 and 3 m tall. In 2024, EPPO will develop a PM 9 Standard (National Regulatory Control Systems) which will provide guidance on the control procedures aiming to monitor, contain and eradicate A. palmeri and A. tuberculatus (EPPO A2 List). In addition, the authors report a new record for Chenopodium ficifolium subsp. ficifolium (Amaranthaceae) in Morrocco. C. ficifolium subsp. ficifolium has a wide native distribution from Europe to East Asia. Two individual plants were found in a public garden in Berrechid in 2022. This taxa can be considered as a casual alien plant in Morocco.
Sources
Tanji A (2023) Two new annual weeds in Morocco: Amaranthus palmeri and Chenopodium ficifolium subsp. ficifolium (Amaranthaceae). Flora Mediterranea 33 91-99.