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A new alien species in Hungary: Limnobium laevigatum (Hydrocharitaceae)
9-15Views:262The South American Spongeplant (Limnobium laevigatum (Humb. & Bonpl. ex. Willd.) Heine) is a floating aquatic plant native to freshwater habitats of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. It is frequently used for ornamental purposes in ponds and aquariums, and became invasive in the recent decades around the world. It has a high reproductive potential and a high dispersal capacity as well. It can form massive floating mats causing light limitation and creating anoxic conditions in the underlying water column, which strongly reduces native animal and plant biomass and diversity. It can also hamper navigation and water flow in rivers and canals. It has been introduced to the United States, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. There is only one previous record in Europe (Belgium). This article is about the first record of Limnobium laevigatum in Hungary. I found two localities situated near Tata-Naszály and Dunaalmás (North-western part of Hungary). Both localities are fed by hot-water springs. It forms a small but dense population in Dunaalmás located near to the hot spring. The population in Tata-Naszály can be found in a 1.3 km long section of a stream, where it formed a sparse population in 2018.
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Continuing spread of Plantago coronopus along Hungarian roads
19–26Views:623In the course of our research of Hungarian transport routes, we observed an intensive spread of the Atlantic-Mediterranean Plantago coronopus L., a recently established species in Hungary. Between 2017 and 2019, it was detected in 47 flora mapping quadrats, which increased the total number of occurrences to 81 since 2013. Besides motorways, the main Hungarian transport routes were involved as well. 26 occurrences have been recorded along the roads 4/E60, E573, 8/E66, 86/E65 and 87, which are severely affected by international traffic. However, on routes avoiding international transit traffic, the species’ occurrences are still rare. In some cases, the predominant direction of traffic appeared to influence the formation of new stands. It is very likely that the first individuals that appeared along the section of the M86/E65 motorway between Szombathely and Hegyfalu in 2019, arrived primarily by northbound traffic, rather than along the road 86, which runs parallel to it only a few hundred meters away. Likewise, it seems certain that the spread of the species along the roads M1/E60, E75 (Mocsa, Tata, Páty) and M7/E71 (Fonyód, Balatonlelle, Kajászó) as well as the road 8/E66 (Bakonygyepes, Veszprém) is due to reproduction of older extensive local populations. At several localities along the outer bend of roundabouts or near the exits of motorways, a dispersal role of intense winter road salting was also observed. The largest populations were located mostly along ditches, next to the (often bare) lane of roadbeds that are heavily affected by mechanical and osmotic stress. The majority of stands were found within a 3 meters wide belt along the asphalt strip (5 meters was measured in the lawn of a cemetery once). Since the species is present continuously at several localities since 2013, it is considered as naturalised in Hungary, and its further spread can be confidently predicted. The current status of the species in Hungary is naturalised (non-trans¬former) neophyte.
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Taxonomic revision of alien Ludwigia species in Hungary
153–164Views:298Some tropical Ludwigia species have been planted as ornamentals in Hungarian thermal springs since the 1920s. Although they have become naturalised or even invasive in a few places, their specific identity remained generally uncertain. Our herbarium and field studies revealed that three species of alien water-primroses occur in Hungary. The most frequently planted one is Ludwigia repens, which is, however, a sporadic species in its native distribution area. We have found this species in several parts of the country. Although a few escaped and self-sustaining populations were also observed, this species has appeared to be non-invasive so far. Ludwigia grandiflora appeared in Hungary at the beginning of the 2000s. At the moment it is known from three localities, though spreading rapidly, becoming already invasive in its locality at Tata city. A similar species, L. peploides has recently been reported from two localities, where it forms small stands; the success of its naturalisation can be assessed in the future. We found no evidence for the Hungarian occurrence of L. alterniflora that had been published from Eger city. Therefore we suggest deleting this species from the current Hungarian checklist.