EPPO Global Database

EPPO Reporting Service no. 11 - 2017 Num. article: 2017/225

First report of Dysphania pumilio in Serbia


Dysphania pumilio (Amaranthaceae) is native to Australia and was first identified in Serbia along the Pčinja River (South east Serbia) in 2006.  D. pumilio is an annual species up to 80 cm tall.  Individual plants produce a large number of seeds which are dispersed by animals (attached to fur) or by wind.  In Serbia, D. pumilio was found in ruderal vegetation on sandy ground near Novo Selo and Donja Trnica villages, where in the case of the latter several hectares are invaded.  At this site, the population consists of several thousand individuals.  The maximum abundance occurred in abandoned cultivated fields under constant movement of domestic animals, as well as on sand and gravel river sediments. An additional population was identified close to the town of Trgovište in ruderal vegetation on well-trodden soil.  At present, the population of D. pumilio in Serbia has not established in preserved natural areas in Serbia and in order to ensure this does not happen in the future, annual monitoring of the established populations should continue.  


Sources

Bogosavljević S, Zlatkovic B (2017) First report of Dysphania pumilio (R.BR.) Mosyakin & Clemants (Amaranthaceae), a new allochthonous species in the flora of Serbia. Botanica Serbica 41, 83-87.