Wassim Saâd, Ridha El Mokni

First records of alien Panicum miliaceum subsp. miliaceum (Poaceae) in Tunisia

Abstract Botanical surveys aiming to update alien flora in various rural regions of northern and central Tunisia have been conducted since 2015. These led to the discovery of four localities of an annual Panicum species not recorded in Tunisia. After a critical study of the collected specimens and a comparison with native species of the genus, as well as a review of the relevant literature and herbarium specimens, all the plants were identified as Panicum miliaceum L. subsp. miliaceum. This taxon, known as a weed and (or) an accidental escapee in most parts of Europe and North Africa, is reported here for the first time as a naturalising weed in Tunisia. Data on the distribution, ecology and phenology of Panicum miliaceum subsp. miliaceum in Tunisia were analysed. A key with diagnostic characters for the identification of Panicum miliaceum subsp. miliaceum and other related alien species in the Mediterranean was compiled.

Doi https://doi.org/10.35513/Botlit.2024.4.3

Keywords alien species, Gramineae, grasses, new records, Panicum, Tunisia

Full text