Chenopodium vulvaria L. 1753

Lazkov, Georgy & Sennikov, Alexander, 2014, New records in vascular plants alien to Kyrgyzstan, Biodiversity Data Journal 2, pp. 1018-1018 : 1018

Chenopodium vulvaria L. 1753

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: 23 ; recordedBy: G.Lazkov; Taxon: family: Amaranthaceae; genus: Chenopodium; specificEpithet: vulvaria; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: L.; Location: continent: Asia; country: Kyrgyzstan; stateProvince: Chüy Region; locality: E of Kara-Balta Town, factory area (under construction) ; decimalLatitude: 42.798333; decimalLongitude: 73.888611; Identification: identifiedBy: G.A.Lazkov; dateIdentified: 22/06/2013; Event: eventDate: 22/06/2013; year: 2013; month: 6; day: 22; habitat: ruderal places; eventRemarks: alien plant; Record Level: collectionID: 88420; institutionCode: FRU; basisOfRecord: specimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: 24 ; recordedBy: G.Lazkov; Taxon: family: Amaranthaceae; genus: Chenopodium; specificEpithet: vulvaria; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: L.; Location: continent: Asia; country: Kyrgyzstan; stateProvince: Osh Region; locality: Alay Range: Nookat, slopes ; verbatimElevation: 2000; decimalLatitude: 40.235; decimalLongitude: 72.558; Identification: identifiedBy: G.A.Lazkov; Event: eventRemarks: alien plant; Record Level: basisOfRecord: observation Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: 25 ; recordedBy: I.Gubanov; Taxon: family: Amaranthaceae; genus: Chenopodium; specificEpithet: vulvaria; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: L.; Location: continent: Asia; country: Kyrgyzstan; stateProvince: Chüy Region; locality: Kara-Balta ravine ; decimalLatitude: 42.798333; decimalLongitude: 73.888611; Identification: identifiedBy: I.A.Gubanov; dateIdentified: 08/14/1961; Event: eventDate: 08/14/1961; year: 1961; month: 8; day: 14; eventRemarks: alien plant; Record Level: collectionID: 15550; institutionCode: MW; basisOfRecord: specimen

Native distribution and occurrence in Central Asia

Pratov 1972 uncritically assumed Chenopodium vulvaria to occur throughout Central Asia, probably as native to the whole area because he included no mention on its status. However, Mosyakin 1996 analysed its distribution and concluded that this species is native to the Mediterranean and South-West Asia, being alien elsewhere. Chenopodium vulvaria is certainly native to the Flora Iranica area ( Uotila 1997; Uotila, pers. comm.) but is considered exclusively ruderal and synanthropic in Tajikistan ( Sidorenko et al. 1968) and Uzbekistan ( Botschantzev 1953). Its distribution in eastern Kazakhstan ( Goloskokov 1960) and southern Siberia ( Lomonosova 1992) is limited, fragmented, and also connected with human activities.

Occurrence in Kyrgyzstan

Nikitina 1955 was first to report this rare synanthropic species as ruderal in one place in Alay Range. Later she ( Nikitina 1967) dismissed the record as erroneous. Indeed, no relevant specimens have been uncovered in the collections of FRU which are the basis of Nikitina’s treatments.

The first confirmed record of this species in Kyrgyzstan, documented by a specimen, was made in 1961 in the ravine of Kara-Balta river ( Gubanov 1970), presumably close to its entrance, on the N side of Kyrgyz Range. This ravine is facing to Kara-Balta Town situated in the Chüy Depression; the southern part of the town (close to the ravine) is a vast industrial area since the Soviet times, including a large ore grinding factory which used imported ores.

This territory was revisited in 2013 in order to explore the area of the oil refinery factory (then under construction) east of Kara-Balta Town. The construction activities brought a number of alien plants, and the presence of Chenopodium vulvaria was confirmed in the area. No direct evidence of persistence may be inferred from its presence yet, because multiple independent introductions may have taken place.

The second locality of Chenopodium vulvaria was observed by Lazkov in the vicinity of Nookat village, Alay Range, without further information on the invasion status.

We consider this species to be alien to the country because of its weedy nature, anthropogenous characters of its habitats, and the paucity of its records (Fig. 8) which all are very recent.

Invasion status in Kyrgyzstan

Not documented; probably locally established (the status is inferred from the persistence of the species in the other countries of Central Asia). The observed populations are sparse and do not pose any threat to the native flora.