First report of Verbena brasiliensis in Turkey
Verbena brasiliensis (Verbenaceae) is a perennial species native to South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay) and is reported as an invasive alien plant in North America, Oceania, Africa and Asia. In the EPPO region, the species is recorded as naturalised in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Georgia. V. brasiliensis can cause ecological damage to the areas it invades by outcompeting native plant species. Before now, only two species of Verbena have been recorded in Turkey, V. officinalis and V. supina. In June 2020, during field surveys in the Bartin province in Northern Turkey, V. brasiliensis was recorded from Karasu village in the Black Sea region where it grows along roadsides and in ruderal areas. In this area, the species was recorded as flowering from May to July. The population has spread along roadsides and small populations occur over a 20-hectare area.
Sources
Tunçkol B (2022) Verbena brasiliensis Vell.: a new record of an invasive alien species in the flora of Turkey. BioInvasions Records 11, 57–61. https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2022.11.1.06