Invasive alien plants in Croatia
In 2006, a national project on Croatia’s invasive flora (inventory, monitoring and control) created a list of invasive alien plants in the country and a database which gathers and disseminates information about alien taxa. The preliminary list of invasive alien plants in Croatia (58 species) is the following:
|
|
Species
|
Family
|
Origin
|
|
Species
|
Family
|
Origin
|
|
1
|
Abutilon theophrasti
|
Malvaceae
|
W-As
|
30
|
Euphorbia maculata
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
N-Am
|
|
2
|
Acer negundo
|
Aceraceae
|
N-Am
|
31
|
Euphorbia prostrata
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
N-Am
|
|
3
|
Ailanthus altissima
|
Simaroubaceae
|
E-As
|
32
|
Galinsoga ciliata
|
Asteraceae
|
Cent-Am
|
|
4
|
Amaranthus retroflexus
|
Amaranthaceae
|
N-Am
|
33
|
Galinosga parviflora
|
Asteraceae
|
S-Am
|
|
5
|
Ambrosia artemisiifolia
|
Asteraceae
|
N-Am
|
34
|
Helianthus tuberosus
|
Asteraceae
|
N-Am
|
|
6
|
Amorpha fruticosa
|
Fabaceae
|
N-Am
|
35
|
Impatiens balfourii
|
Balsaminaceae
|
Himalaya
|
|
7
|
Angelica archangelica
|
Apiaceae
|
N&E Eur
|
36
|
Impatiens glandulifera
|
Balsaminaceae
|
S-As
|
|
8
|
Artemisia annua
|
Asteraceae
|
Eur.
|
37
|
Impatiens parviflora
|
Balsaminaceae
|
EC-As
|
|
9
|
Artemisia verlotiorum
|
Asteraceae
|
SW-As
|
38
|
Juncus tenuis
|
Juncaceae
|
N-Am
|
|
10
|
Asclepias syriaca
|
Asclepiadaceae
|
N-Am
|
39
|
Lepidium virginicum
|
Brassicaceae
|
N-Am
|
|
11
|
Aster squamatus
|
Asteraceae
|
Am.
|
40
|
Oenothera biennis
|
Oenagraceae
|
N-Am
|
|
12
|
Bidens frondosa
|
Asteraceae
|
N-Am
|
41
|
Oxalis pes-caprae
|
Oxalidaceae
|
S-Af
|
|
13
|
Bidens subalternans
|
Asteraceae
|
N-Am
|
42
|
Panicum capillare
|
Poaceae
|
N-Am
|
|
14
|
Broussonetia papyrifera
|
Moraceae
|
E-As
|
43
|
Panicum dichotomiflorum
|
Poaceae
|
N-Am
|
|
15
|
Carpobrotus edulis
|
Aizoaceae
|
S-Af
|
44
|
Paspalum dilatatum
|
Poaceae
|
S-Am
|
|
16
|
Chamomilla suaveolens
|
Asteraceae
|
NE-As, W N-Am
|
45
|
Paspalum paspalodes
|
Poaceae
|
Tropics
|
|
17
|
Chenopodium ambrosioides
|
Chenopodiaceae
|
Neotrp
|
46
|
Phytolacca americana
|
Phytolaccaceae
|
N-Am
|
|
18
|
Conyza bonariensis
|
Asteraceae
|
N-Am
|
47
|
Reynoutria japonica
|
Polygonaceae
|
E-As
|
|
19
|
Conyza canadensis
|
Asteraceae
|
N-Am
|
48
|
Reynoutria sachalinensis
|
Polygonaceae
|
E-As
|
|
20
|
Conyza sumatrensis
|
Asteraceae
|
S-Am
|
49
|
Robinia pseudoacacia
|
Fabaceae
|
N-Am
|
|
21
|
Cuscuta campestris
|
Convolvulaceae
|
N-Am
|
50
|
Rudbeckia laciniata
|
Asteraceae
|
N-Am
|
|
22
|
Datura innoxia
|
Solanaceae
|
Pantrop
|
51
|
Solanum elaeagnifolium
|
Solanaceae
|
S-Am
|
|
23
|
Datura stramonium
|
Solanaceae
|
Am.
|
52
|
Solidago canadensis
|
Asteraceae
|
N-Am
|
|
24
|
Diplotaxis erucoides
|
Brassicaceae
|
SW Eur
|
53
|
Solidago gigantea
|
Asteraceae
|
N-Am
|
|
25
|
Echinocystis lobata
|
Cucurbitaceae
|
N-Am
|
54
|
Sorghum halepense
|
Poaceae
|
Subcosm
|
|
26
|
Eleusine indica
|
Poaceae
|
Pantrop
|
55
|
Tagetes minuta
|
Asteraceae
|
S-Am
|
|
27
|
Elodea canadensis
|
Hydrocharitaceae
|
N-Am
|
56
|
Veronica persica
|
Scrophulariaceae
|
W-As
|
|
28
|
Epilobium ciliatum
|
Onagraceae
|
N-Am
|
57
|
Xanthium spinosum
|
Asteraceae
|
S-Am
|
|
29
|
Erigeron annuus
|
Asteraceae
|
N-Am
|
58
|
Xanthium strumarium subsp. italicum
|
Asteraceae
|
Am.
|
Note: species indicated in bold are included in the EPPO List of invasive alien plants.
An analysis of this list of species shows that:
- 20% of the species are Asteraceae, 6% are Poaceae,
- 57% are therophytes, 17% are hemicryptophytes, 12% are geophytes and 10% are phanerophytes,
- 64% originate from the Americas, 19% from Asia and 10% from Africa.
Moreover, the ‘Flora Croatica Database’ provides statuses and distribution maps for more than 500 alien plants in Croatia.
Sources
Mitίc B, Dobrović I, Boršić I, Milović M, Bogdanović S, Cigić P, Rešetnik I, Nikolić T (2006) Croatian botanical standards for IAS prevention and monitoring. In: Neobiota. From Ecology to Conservation. 4th European Conference on Biological Invasions. Vienna (Austria), 2006-09-27/29, BfN-Skripten 184: page 194 (abst.).
Flora Croatica Database: http://hirc.botanic.hr/fcd/search.aspx