Rorippa sylvestris (L.) Besser

Kozhin, Mikhail & Sennikov, Alexander, 2022, New records in non-native vascular plants of Russian Lapland, Biodiversity Data Journal 10, pp. 78166-78166 : 78166

Rorippa sylvestris (L.) Besser

Rorippa sylvestris (L.) Besser, Enum. Pl.: 27 (1822) - Sisymbrium sylvestre L., Sp. Pl. 2: 657 (1753).

Distribution

Native distribution

Europe (boreal and temperate), Caucasus.

Secondary distribution

Europe (boreal), Mediterranean, Central Asia, Siberia, Russian Far East, North America.

Distribution in neighbouring territories

This species is naturalised in southern Finland ( Suominen 1998) and North-Western European Russia ( Tzvelev 2000). It is included in the list of harmful alien plants in Finland ( Niemivuo-Lahti 2012). In Karelia, the species is known from a few scattered localities in populated places up to Kem Town in the north ( Kravchenko 2007), where it probably persisted for a while.

Kotov (1979) reported this species from the Russian European Arctic, but his record was questioned by Dorofeev (2012). Wasowicz et al. (2019) omitted this publication as having no background literature or herbarium record.

New record

Russia. Murmansk Region. Kandalaksha District. Vicinity of Alakurtti Village, left bank of Tumcha River, along the shore of the stream, 25.07.1957, O. Kuzeneva & A. Dryakhlova 282 (KPABG 024968).

Pathways of introduction

Transport - Contaminant: Contaminated bait.

The species has arrived with forage transported to the place of occurrence by the German army during the Second World War.

Period of introduction

Second World War (1941-1945).

The period of introduction is established through the pathways.

Invasion status

Naturalised, locally established in native habitats. Historical occurrence.

The local population of this perennial colonist species persisted for at least 13 years by the time of its discovery. Its current state is unknown.

Ecology

Riversides, floodplains.

Biology

Perennial polycarpic. Hemicryptophyte with root sprouts.

Notes

In northern Finland (Kuusamo), Rorippa sylvestris was recorded as locally established in a former German military camp, where it arrived to the territory during the Second World War with forage supply (hay) ( Ahti and Hämet-Ahti 1971). We assume the same origin for the species occurrence in Murmansk Region, since the territory of Alakurtti Village was an important airfield and camping place for German military troops in the period of the German occupation in August 1941 - September 1944.