Lepidium oblongum along railway lines in Hungary
Lepidium oblongum (Brassicaceae) is an annual species which spread by small seeds. It has been recently recorded in Hungary where it was first discovered in 2018. Previously, in the EPPO region, L. oblongum was found in 2011, at a single locality, in the railway station of Râmnicu Sărat, Buzău County, Romania. Lepidium oblongum is native to North America (USA and Mexico) and Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras). Outside of its native range, it occurs in Hawaii, where it occurs as a naturalized alien, in dry, disturbed sites, between 0 and 200 m above sea level. In Hawaii it can become a dominant species. It is considered a rare casual species in Australia. In Hungary, a small stand of L. oblongum was found by the first author in 2018 next to the railway station of Jánosháza (Kisalföld, Northwest Hungary) on a railway loading bay. Further observations have been recorded along the rail system in West Hungary (Szombathely) and Southwest Hungary (Gyékényes). In these locations, most populations of L. oblongum are monospecific stands covering several metres in width and several hundred metres in length. Further spread of the species is likely and it may have the potential to spread along other ruderal sites such as roadsides.
Sources
Schmidt D, Mesterházy A, Csiky J (2022) Lepidium oblongum (Brassicaceae) appeared on Hungarian railways: the beginning of a wider European conquest? Acta Botanica Croatica (early view). https://doi.org/10.37427/botcro-2021-030