acta universitatis lodziensis --- 2 00
9---Folia Biologica et Oecologica 5: 43-50 _______ ___________________ (A cta U niv., L odz, F olia B iol, et O eco l.) _______
Pi o t r Wi t o s l a w s k i
Department o f Geobotany and Plant Ecology, University o f Łódź, Banacha 12/16, PL-90-237 Łódź, e-mail: witoslaw@biol.uni.lodz.pl
THE NEW LOCALITY OF CHENOPODIUM PUMILIO R. BR. IN POLAND
Abstract: The clammy goosefoot Chenopodium pumilio R. Br. is a rare anthropophyte in the Polish flora. Hitherto, this species was recorded in Gdańsk and Rybnik. The present study describes the newly-discovered locality in Stryków near Łódź (Central Poland), the occurrence o f this species in Poland and the general geographical distribution in the world.
Key words: Chenopodium pumilio, synanthropic flora, Australian species, alien plants, wool aliens, Poland.
1. INTRODUCTION
In the vicinity o f Stryków to the north-east o f Łódź, a major transport hub is about to come into existence as the crossing point o f A l and A2 motorways will be located there. The current and predicted changes in the mode o f land management in this area provided the incentive for initiation o f studies to document the present state o f its flora. Already initial floristic exploration brought an unexpected result - the discovery o f a site o f occurrence o f clammy goosefoot Chenopodium pum ilio R. Br., a synanthropic species rarely recorded in Poland. Correct determination was verified
in the herbarium o f the W. Szafer Institute o f Botany o f the Polish Academy o f Sciences in Cracow (KRAM).
Chenopodium pumilio R. Br. (Fig. 1) is an annual plant co vered w ith glandular trichom es; sh oo ts (1 0 -4 0 cm in length) are re clining and ascen ding; lea v es (1 - 4 cm in length and 0 .5 -2 cm in w idth) sin uo u sly dentate, rhom b oid-ovate in shape; flo w er s in bunches (3-5 m m in diam eter), arising in ax ils o f le ave s; se ed s (0 .5 - 0 .8 m m in diam eter), reddish -brow n in colou r, brilliant, laterally flattened
( Br e n a n 1964; Tr z c iŃs k a-Ta c i k 1992). T he study presents the geograp hical
distribution o f this sp e cie s and the location o f its ne w site o f occurrence in Poland.
Fig. 1: Habit o f Chenopodium pum ilio R. Br. (after Dostalek et al. 1990, modified)
2. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND CONDITIONS OF
OCCURRENCE
Chenopodium pumilio R. Br. is a native species in Australia and Tasmania. It
the limits if its natural range it prefers sunny habitats on loam, clay or sand-based soils. It occurs sometimes on salt-containing soils. It grows along shores o f rivers and water bodies. It occurs often in synanthropic communities - both ruderal and segetal ones (Fl o r aBa s e t h e We s t e r n Au s t r a l i a n Fl o r a; Ae l l e n 1960).
A s an introd uced and partially naturalised s p e c ie s, the clam m y g o o se f o o t o ccu rs in A sia ( N e w Z ealand, N e w C aledon ia , Papua N e w G uinea, K orea, C hina, Japan, Iran), A frica (S outh A frica, Z im b abw e, K en ya, E thiopia, B o tsw an a), South A m erica (A r gentina), N orth A m erica ( U S A ) and in nu m erous E uropean countries (Portugal, Spain, France, E ngland, Scotland , B elg iu m , H olland , D enm ark, S w eden , N o rw ay , G erm any, A ustria, C z ech R epu blic, S lova kia, Poland, U kraine, H ungary, R om ania) (Gl o b a l Bi o d i v e r s i t y In f o r m a t i o n Fa c i l i t y; Pr o b s t 1949; Ae l l e n
1960; Gl e a s o n & Cr o n q u i s t 1963; Br e n a n 1964; Hu n z i k e r 1965; He j n ÿ &
Sc h w a r z o v â 1978; Tr z c i ń s k a-Ta c i k 1992; Ch y t r y 1993; Ur b i s z 1996;
MOSYAKIN & Fe d o r o n c h u k 1999; Ha l v o r s e n et. a l 1998, Fe r â k o v â 2002;
Mi s i e w i c z & Ko r c z y ń s k i 2003; Ra h i m i n e j a d 2004; CHANG-SHan & Sh i- Xi n 2006).
Chenopodium pumilio has been introduced to E urope sin ce the late 18th
century together w ith raw w o o l im ported from A ustralia (Pr o b s t 1949; AELLEN
1960). First records w ere m ade in the lo ca litie s DÖHREN (1889) in Germ any
(Pr o b s t 1949; Ae l l e n 1960) and No s i s l a v (1890) in M oravia (He j n ÿ &
Sc h w a r z o v â 1978). In G erm any, C z ech R ep ub lic and S lo va kia, w h ere it has
spread from its initial sites o f introduction ( w o o l s pinn in g m ills, ports, railw ay areas) and n o w occurs in fie ld s, pastures and on river a llu via ( Ae l l e n 1960; Lh o t s k a & HEJNY 1979; Do s t a l e k et al. 1990), it is co nsid ere d to be a naturalised, but non- in v as iv e s pe c ie s (Lh o t s k a & He j n y 1979; Do s t a l e k et al. 1990; Ha e u p l e r &
Mu e r 2000; Ro t h m a l e r 2002; PYŚEK et. al. 2002).
The species shows a phytocoenotic optimum in Germany in plant communities from the Sisymbrion officinalis and Chenopodion rubri alliances
(Ob e r d ö r f e r 1990), while in the Czech Republic its optimum occurs within
Malvion neglectae, Polygonion avicularis and Sisymbrion officinalis ( Do s t a l e k et al. 1990).
3. OCCURRENCE IN POLAND
Hitherto, only two localities o f Chenopodium pumilio had been known: 1) port in Gdańsk - since 1974, the species has persisted along the unloading quay on the depot area and on railway grounds (TRZCIŃSKA-TACIK 1992; MISIEWICZ & Ko r c z y ń s k i 2003).
2) Rybnik-Piaski - in 1992, 3 individuals were found to occur on a sandy roadside, accompanied by Polygonum aviculare, Plantago major and Chenopodium album. In the subsequent year, the locality was destroyed due to the construction o f a concrete sidewalk ( Ur b i s z 1996; Al i n a Ur b i s z personal communication).
A new locality o f this species was discovered in 2005 in Stryków, a small town (3000 inhabitants) located ca. 15 km to the north-east o f Łódź in ATPOL square DD 67 (Za j ą c 1978). Chenopodium pum ilio occurred together with Digitaria ischaemum on a strongly trampled strip o f land between Stryjkowskiego street and
the adjoining sidewalk. The population numbered over a dozen individuals and occupied an area o f ca. 1 m2 (Fig. 2). In 2008, the site o f occurrence was partially destroyed when it was buried under a heap o f sand used for construction purposes. However, two individuals survived and were able to flower and bear fruit, thus giving hope for preservation o f the population o f this species in the future. Herbarium documentation o f the new locality was deposited in the Herbarium Universitatis Lodziensis (LOD).
4. CONCLUSIONS
It is difficult to unequivocally explain the origin o f the Chenopodium pum ilio population discovered in Stryków. In all probability it is a secondary site of occurrence where the species spread from its initial site o f introduction. The strip o f ground on which the goosefoot population occurs used to be a lawn in the past. Perhaps, as it was often the case in the past, in the process o f its preparation soil was fertilised with wool-cleaning waste material brought from nearby Łódź. However, a doubt is raised by the fact that all wool mills in Łódź ceased their activity already
more than ten years ago and even in their last years o f activity the raw material they used was wool previously cleaned elsewhere. It is difficult to presume that the discovered population could have persisted in a locality constantly vulnerable to easy destruction for such a long period o f time. Furthermore, occurrence o f the clammy goosefoot has never been recorded from Łódź itself despite over 40 years o f intensive studies on the urban flora, even though numerous other species customarily introduced with raw wool were found to grow there ( Wi t o s ł a w s k i
2006). Most probably the source o f diaspores in this case was different.
0 - 1 9 - 2
Fig. 2: Herbarium specimen o f Chenopodium pum ilio R. Br. from the locality in Stryków (leg. P. Witosławski, 19 June 2005). Location o f the site o f (top right) and distribution o f the species in Poland (bottom right). 1 - localities known from literature; 2 - new locality o f the species
Mi s i e w i c z and Ko r c z y ń s k i (2003) suggest that due to its persistent occurrence in Gdańsk Chenopodium pum ilio should be considered a naturalised species and listed as an epoecophyte. The lack o f spreading tendency o f this species in Poland is explained by the less propitious climate conditions in comparison to the Czech Republic where the species has undergone expansion for an extended period o f time, spreading from industrial centres predominantly along major river valleys
(Lh o t s k a & He j n y 1979; Tr z c i ń s k a-Ta c i k 1992).
Naturalisation o f Chenopodium pum ilio in neighbouring countries, its persistent occurrence in Gdańsk and the appearance o f secondary sites o f occurrence (Rybnik, Stryków) indicate that in the future, expansion o f this species in Poland may be possible.
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