Bothriochloa laguroides new in France
In 1975, Auriault reported the finding of Bothriochloa imperatoides (Poaceae), a weed species of American origin in the Hérault Department (FR), but the exact identity of this xenophyte remained uncertain for a long time. The identity of the plant has been recently confirmed as B. barbinodis.
In Italy (Liguria region), Barberis & Orsino (1984) reported the presence of a closely related taxa, Bothriochloa saccharoides subsp. saccharoides, which has recently been reclassified as Bothriochloa laguroides (Banfi & Galasso, pers. comm., 2008). In France, a population of Bothriochloa sp. in Antibes (Department of the Alpes-Maritimes) appeared to be morphologically different from B. barbinodis and has been identified as B. laguroides, as in Italy. This is the first record of B. laguroides in France.
Sources
Auriault R (1975) Bothriochloa imperatoides (Hackel) Herter adventice dans l’Hérault. Le Monde des Plantes 383, 2-3.
Barberis G & Orsino F (1984) Bothriochloa saccharoides (Sw.) Rydb. Subsp. saccharoides (Graminae), nuova per l’Italia. Webbia 37, 277-282.
Verloove F, Lambinon J (2008) Deux graminées introduites peut-être méconnues, nouvelles pour la flore française: Bothriochloa laguroides and Dichanthelium acuminatum subsp. lindheimeri (Poaceae: Panicoideae). Le Monde des Plantes 497, 4 pp. http://alienplantsbelgium.be/sites/alienplantsbelgium.be/files/Dichanthelium