Bidens frondosa: new record for the Republic of North Macedonia
Bidens frondosa (Asteraceae: EPPO Observation List) is an annual herbaceous species native to North America. It is introduced into the EPPO region where it is widespread and reported from ruderal habitats, shorelines of lakes, rivers, and wetlands. The species has also been reported as a problem in agricultural crops such as maize and sugarbeet. The species is also recorded as invasive in New Zealand. In the Republic of North Macedonia, B. frondosa was recorded from Prespa Lake in the South West of the country in gravel and muddy habitats along the shoreline. The population is relatively sparse in occurrence. The authors suggest B. frondosa should be considered as a naturalised alien plant species in the Republic of North Macedonia since the observed population exists without any known human intervention. It is likely that B. frondosa is more widespread in the Republic of North Macedonia than currently described. In neighbouring countries, (e.g. Bulgaria and Croatia), the species shows invasive behaviour and therefore, more abundant populations could be seen in the future.
Sources
Vladimirov V, Bancheva S, Delcheva M, Lambevska-Hristova A, Kostadinovski M, Custerevska R, Matevski V (2019) A new record of Bidens (Asteraceae) to the flora of the Republic of North Macedonia. Comptes rendus de l’Académie bulgare des Sciences 72, 906-909.