Update on the world distribution of Asparagus asparagoides
Asparagus asparagoides (Asparagaceae) is registered on the EPPO Alert List. Its distribution in the EPPO region has been reviewed and is as follows:
EPPO Region: France (including Corse), Italy (Sicilia), Malta, Morocco, Portugal (Azores, Madeira), Spain (including Islas Canarias), Tunisia.
Note: in France, A. asparagoides is present in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var departments. Alziar ; Salanon (1996) consider the species as invasive in the Var department in Mont Boron (near Nice) and in the Esterel mountain range although its behavior there seems to be less invasive. In Corse, the species is present in Ajaccio near the Scudo quaries and at the junction of the roads D.111 and D.111b, where about 1400 to 1800 individual plants were observed in 2002. The species is also present in the île Rousse and 2 km South-west of the île Rousse (Paradis ; Piaza, 2004).
In Sicilia, Parlatore (1858) indicated that the species was established in bushland near Palermo and at 'Firriatu di Villafranca'. According to Gianiantonio Domina (University of Palermo, pers. comm., 2013), Asparagus asparagoides populations in Sicilia are stable. The species is casual in Sardinia.
In Malta, A. asparagoides is recorded by Borg (1927) who states that it is established in the surroundings of San Antonio Gardens, Casa Leoni and Buskett. According to Lanfranco (2005) its cultivation has declined considerably but it still grows at the gardens of the Verdala Palace adjacent to Buskett.
In Spain the species has been found in Burjassot, L'Eixereta, near Valencia (GBIF Portal).
In Tunisia, A. asparagoides is recorded in Borj Cedria and in Soukra (Le Floc'h et al., 2010).
The species had erroneously been indicated as present in Slovenia (from an incorrect interpretation of Jogan, 2005).
Africa (native): Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
North America: Mexico, USA (California, Hawaii (East Maui)).
South and Central America: Argentina, Guatemala, Uruguay.
Oceania: Australia (New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia), New Zealand.
Sources
Alziar G ; Salanon R (1996) Pourquoi certaines plantes deviennent-elles envahissantes ? Quelques exemples pris dans la flore allochtone des Alpes-Maritimes. Collection “Plantes introduites – Plantes envahissantes”, Nice 8-11 octobre 1996 (abstract).
Australia's Virtual Herbarium. Asparagus asparagoides. avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=asparagus+asparagoides#mapView
Borg J (1927) Descriptive Flora of the Maltese Islands. Malta: Government Stationery Office, 846 pp.
CABI Invasive Species Compendium (Beta), Asparagus asparagoides (bridal creeper) (Invalid record). http://www.cabi.org/isc/?compid=5=8139=datasheet=481=144
California Invasive Plant Council, Asparagus asparagoides. http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/plant_profiles/Asparagus_asparagoides.php
Conservatoire et jardin botaniques ville de Genève (2012) Base de données des plantes d'Afrique. Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce. http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/details.php?langue=fr;id=34582
Euro+Med PlantBase - Asparagus asparagoides. http://ww2.bgbm.org/EuroPlusMed/PTaxonDetail.asp?NameCache=Asparagus
GBIF Portal, Asparagus asparagoides, record for Spain. http://data.gbif.org/occurrences/318103311/
Ibn Tattou M ; Fennane M (2008) Flore vasculaire du Maroc, inventaire et chorologie. Travaux de l'Institut Scientifique, Université Mohammed V, Série Botanique 39, p. 144.
Lanfranco E (2005) Biodiversity Action Plan: Tender for the setting up of a list of alien flora reported from the Maltese Islands. Report commissioned by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority as part of the Biodiversity Action Plan and Habitat Inventorying Programme. (unpublished).
Le Floc'h E, Boulos L ; Vela E (2010) Catalogue synonymique commenté de la Flore de Tunisie. République Tunisienne. Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable. Banque Nationale de Gènes. 504 pp.
Lisa Jane Schembri Gambin, Malta Environment and Planning Authority, pers. comm., 2013, Email: Lisa.Schembri@mepa.org.mt
Maire R (1958) Flore de l'Afrique du Nord. Lechevalier éd., Paris. p. 231.
Nejc Jogan, University of Ljubljana, email: nejc.jogan@bf.uni-lj.si
Paradis G (2002) Expansion à Ajaccio (Corse) de l'espèce introduite Elide asparagoides (L.) Kerguélen (Asparagaceae). Le Monde des Plantes 476, 16-20.
Paradis G & Piazza C (2004) Précisions sur les stations d'Elide asparagoides (Asparagaceae) à l'île Rousse et Tiuccia (Corse Occidentale). Le Monde des Plantes 482, 1-2.
Parlatore F (1858) Flora Italiana ossia descrizione delle piante che nascono selvatiche o si sono inselvatichite in Italia e nelle isole ad essa adiacenti. Vol. 3, pag. 27, Firenze, Tip. Le Monnier.
Pers. comm. from Nejc Jogan (2013) concerning the erroneous interpretation of Jogan N (2005) Plant invaders in sub-mediterranean part of Slovenia. In Brunel S (Eds) (2005) Proceedings of the International Workshop on Invasive plants in Mediterranean type regions of the world. 25-27 May 2005, Mèze (FR) p. 332.
Podda L, Lazzeri V, Mascia F, Mayoral O & Bacchetta (2012) The Checklist of the Sardinian Alien Flora: an Update. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-napoca 40(2), 14-21.
Popay I, Champion P & James T (2010) Common Weeds of New Zealand. New Zealand Plant Protection Society. Manaaki Whenua Press, 416 pp.
SILENE (2013) Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce. Conservatoire Botanique National Méditerranéen de Porquerolles, Conservatoire Botanique National Alpin. http://flore.silene.eu/index.php?cont=accueil
Standley PC & Steyermark JA (1952) Liliaceae. In Flora of Guatemala - Part III. Fieldiana, Botany 24(3), 59–100.
Starr F, Martz K & Loope LL (2002) New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bishop Museum Occasional Paper 69, 16–27.
United States Department of Agriculture - Germaplasm Resources Information Network (USDA-GRIN) (2013) Asparagus asparagoides. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?4494