Brasilien Vervain (Verbena Brasiliensis Vell.) in Colkheti ﬂora

Annals of Agrarian Science xxx (2017) 1e3

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Brasilien Vervain (Verbena brasiliensis Vell.) in Colkheti ﬂora

* I. Sh. Mikeladze , G.K. Bolkvadze, M.V. Metreveli, R.N. Chagalidze, M.U. Davitadze, A.Sh. Sharabidze

Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Institute of Phytopathology and Biodiversity, 35, Ninoshvili srt., Batumi 6010, Georgia article info abstract

Article history: In the modern world one of the most threat for the biodiversity is adventive einvasive species. In Col- Received 21 December 2016 kheti seaside natural, secondary changed plants and wetlands are considered as the main place for plant Accepted 22 February 2017 invasion. The study of alien flora in Colkheti plain started in the first half of the 20-th century. The Available online xxx appearance of foreign plants is connected with introduction of cultural plants, which began in the distant past and continues today. Keywords: In this work the current condition, invasive indicators, bio morphological characteristics and growth- Verbena development properties of new invasive species, South American origin Verbena Brasiliensis spread in Alien fl Invasion Colkheti ora (Western Georgia's seaside part) is given. In Colkheti it is mainly spread in the seaside, Georgia along the roads, along the railroad, on the ruderal places, near channels and rivers, deserted building Colkheti sites, landfills, non-agricultural lands. Verbena Brasiliensis is a perennial, erect, branched, 50e210 cm Biodiversity height. The plant starts flowering in AprileMay and lasts till November. It is distinguished with high reproductivity. Fully grown plant in the second year develops about 90000e100000 seeds. Consequently the area of plant spread is gradually growing. © 2017 Agricultural University of Georgia. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Introduction identified herbariums using different references and internet sources. The first datas about Verbena Brasiliensis on the territory of Verbena Brasiliensis belongs to Verbenaceae family and Verbena Georgia was referred by Filip Verloove [1]. He studied the sample of genus. Genus is represented with 80 species which are mainly Verbena in Belgium Botanical Garden, which was taken by Vladimir spread in subtropical and tropical countries of America, some of Vashak 1979 near Sokhumi as a Verbena hastata. After studying the them grow in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia [3], [4]. Three kinds above mentioned sample, it was estimated that this sample was of Verbena genus is described in Georgian Flora [5] [6], [7]. Verbena brasiliensis. Earlier in 1945e1946 the plant was noticed by According to the researches we see that in Georgia Verbena Kolakovski and Sakhokia [2]. For the last ten years Verbena has Brasiliensis is mainly spread in the seaside, along the roads, along been detected near most highways and railway stations, on the the railroad, on the ruderal places, near channels and rivers, banks of channels, rivers and lakes in the lowlands of Western deserted building sites, landfills, non-agricultural lands. We meet Georgia. them on every soils e red soil, black, shingle soil, sandy soil etc. It especially prefers humid and secondary damaged habitats. We have also detected the spread of some samples in agro-cultural Objectives and methods lands. Verbena Brasiliensis is a perennial, erect, branched, 50e210 cm height. The stems are quadrangular. The leaf is petio- The objective of the research was to describe new foreign spe- late, elliptic-lanceolate, pointed at the top and narrow at the bot- cies spread in the seaside of the western Georgia, for this reason we tom. Veins are on both sides. On the sides uneven saw-toothed, held botanical expeditions and phonic descriptions, made and bottom leaves are sometimes spear-like. The flowers are various, blue-violet, bunched at the top 0,5-1,5-4,5-5 cm length and 0,5 sm width which are gathered in a bigger size 15e45 cm length and * Corresponding author. 10e30 cm width panicles. Fruit is a brown, 2,5e3 mm length and E-mail address: [email protected] (I.Sh. Mikeladze). 0,9e1,1 width nutlets. The plant starts flowering in AprileMay and Peer review under responsibility of Journal Annals of Agrarian Science. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aasci.2017.05.013 1512-1887/© 2017 Agricultural University of Georgia. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Please cite this article in press as: I.Sh.-g.S. Mikeladze, et al., Brasilien Vervain (Verbena brasiliensis Vell.) in Colkheti ﬂora, Annals of Agrarian Science (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aasci.2017.05.013 2 I.Sh. Mikeladze et al. / Annals of Agrarian Science xxx (2017) 1e3

Fig. 1. Brasilien Vervain (Verbena brasiliensis Vell.) - stems and ﬂoral branches.

Fig. 2. Brasilien Vervain (Verbena brasiliensis vell)- ﬂowers and leaves.

Please cite this article in press as: I.Sh.-g.S. Mikeladze, et al., Brasilien Vervain (Verbena brasiliensis Vell.) in Colkheti ﬂora, Annals of Agrarian Science (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aasci.2017.05.013 I.Sh. Mikeladze et al. / Annals of Agrarian Science xxx (2017) 1e3 3

Fig. 3. Brasilien verbena in winter (Batumi). lasts till November (Figs. 1 and 2). Conclusion It is distinguished with high reproductivity. Fully grown plant in the second year develops about 90000e100000 seeds. Conse- The first samples of south American origin plant Verbena brasi- quently the area of plant spread is gradually growing. Verbena in liensis were detected on the territory of north Colkheti (near the flowering period is intensely used in bouquet making. At this Sokhumi) in the 1940-ies and from there it gradually starts time the plant flowering and seed ripening happens at the same spreading in other parts of Black Sea coastline in Georgia. On the time which helps to spread and widely settle with many abiotic and territory of central and southern part of the Colkheti we described biotic factors. first samples in 2010. The first samples of Verbena were described by us in the Adjara For the last 4e5 years it has reached maximum spreading which seaside in 2010. In 2011 on the territory of Kobuleti Municipality was caused by using this plant in bunch-making and removing along the highway there were some samples which were easy to inert materials from one place to another while working on the count. current highway building process together with many biotic and In 2012 in order to estimate the area spread there was an abiotic factors. expedition in Kobuleti, Poti, Khobi, Zugdidi, Chkhorotsku, Senaki, Abasha, Samtredia, near highways and railways in Ozurgeti and Lanchkhuti. Some samples were detected in humid places near the References channels. In 2013 the first samples of plants were detected in [1] F. Verlove, Verbena brasiliensis (verbenaceae), a new record for the flora of Makhinjauri, at the outfall of the river Korolistskali, Bartskhana Georgia (former Ussr), Syst. Geogr. (2006) 185e189. settlement, on the territory of Batumi, near airport, Gonio landfills. [2] D. Melnikov, Verbena brasiliensis Vell. from the black Sea of the Caucasus, e Since 2014 it has been fixed in Khelvachauri. In 2014e2015 Verbena Turczaninovia 17 (1) (2014) 72 77. [3] P. Yeo, A re-definition of verbena brasiliensis, Kew Bull. 45 (no. 1) (1989) is widely spread not only in humid but also in dry places as well. In 101e115. spreading areas it takes the dominant position and completely [4] A. Kolakovskii, Flora abkhazii, vol. IV, 1986, pp. 92e94. Tbilisi. changes plant environment. It banishes other grassy plants grad- [5] Flora USSR, Leningrad, vol. XIX, 1953, pp. 692e697. [6] Flora of Georgia, Mecniereba, vol. X, 1987, pp. 304e308. Tbilisi. ually they start to grow in agricultural lands. The plant remains [7] R. Gagnidze, Vascular Plants of Georgia-a Nomenclatural Checklist, Universal, green all year round (Fig. 3). Tbilisi, 2005.