Update on the exotic plant species of continental Portugal
Since the last assessment of the number of exotic plants of Portugal in 2012, 105 additional taxa (species, sub-species, varieties or hybrids) have been added to the list for continental Portugal. These species have been added based on literature reviews, field observations by the author and personal communications and represents a 15 % increase to the list since 2012. The total number of exotic plant taxa in continental Portugal now includes at least 772 taxa which equates to more than 20 % of the total number of plant taxa for the country. Some of the more recently recorded taxa (from 2015 onwards) include Ageratina ligustrina (Asteraceae) a species of shrub native to North and Central America which is naturalised in the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park. In addition, Baccharis spicata (Asteraceae: EPPO Alert List) was found naturalised in the province of Douro Litoral, and Ludwigia peploides (Onagraceae: EPPO A2 List) a South American native, has been reported in the province of Beira Litoral (Oliveira do Bairro).
Sources
Domingues de Almeida J (2018) New additions to the exotic vascular flora of continental Portugal. Flora Mediterranea 28, 259-278.