Rev. FCA UNCUYO. 2020. 52(2): diffusa 153-159. in Uspallata, ISSN Mendoza (en línea) 1853-8665.

First record of the Centaurea diffusa Lam. () in high altitude wetlands, Valle de Uspallata, Mendoza Primer registro de la especie invasora Centaurea diffusa Lam. (Asteraceae) en humedales de altura, Valle de Uspallata, Mendoza

Solana Tabeni *, Erica Elizabeth Scheibler, Lorena de Jesús Bonjour

Originales: Recepción: 29/07/2019 - Aceptación: 18/02/2020 Nota científica

Abstract

Centaurea diffusa is an invasive species whose distribution in covers the thePampean specimens, region. photographic We report for material the first and time information its presence about in high their altitude habitat ecosystemsrequirements at andthe Uspallatamanagement Valley status in the in provinceArgentina of and Mendoza, in America. Argentina. We provide a description of

Keywords

white knapweed • Asteraceae • adventitious species • Mendoza

Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas

Argentina.(IADIZA). CCT-CONICET * [email protected] Mendoza. UNCuyo. Gobierno de Mendoza. Av. A. Ruiz Leal s/n. Parque General San Martín. C. C. 507. C. P. 5500. Mendoza.

Tomo 52 • N° 2 • 2020 153 S. Tabeni, E. E. Scheibler, L. de J. Bonjour

Resumen

Centaurea diffusa

es una especie invasora cuya distribución en Argentina abarca la región pampeana. Se reporta por primera vez su presencia en ecosistemas de altura pertenecientes al Valle de Uspallata en la provincia de Mendoza, Argentina. Se brinda una descripción de los ejemplares, material fotográfico e información sobre sus requerimientosPalabras clave de hábitat y estado del manejo en Argentina y en América.

abrepuño blanco • Asteraceae • especie introducida • Mendoza Introduction

Asteraceae constitute the largest In Argentina, the genus Centaurea - duced species (7). Centaurea diffusa family of flowering , with more than (whiteis represented knapweed) is recognized by nine for introbeing except1,600 genera the Antarctic and 23,000 region, species. inhabiting They are a species with ecological attributes of widely distributed throughout the world invasive plants in , as it can colonize disturbed sites, resist competition mainly grassland, and mountain with native plants and expand success- theecosystems genus (2).Centaurea includes about Within the Asteraceae family, - rangefully. It ofinhabits, environmental mainly, arid conditions. and semi-arid The 250 species, native to , particularly- presenceecosystems, of beingC. diffusa able into Northtolerate America a wide ceousfrom or the shrub Irano-Turanian plants, annual, and biannual Mediter or has been recorded from 500 to more than perennial.ranean regions Some are (16). ornamental They are species, herba 900 meters above sea level, where it can others are associated with cereal crops, or naturalized as weeds, and others with medicinal uses (16). activitiesoccupy different to crops and habitats pastures ranging (13, 18). from Some introduced species in Australia roadsidesThe presence and degraded of C. diffusa byin Argentinaindustrial and North America have expanded into has been so far reported in the Pampas croplands (C. diffusa Lam., C. diluta Aiton, C. maculosa Lam., C. melitensis L. and Pampa) between 0 and almost 1000 m a. s. l. C. solstitialis L.) (16); their management (7,region 11, 17). (Buenos The time Aires, of introduction Córdoba and to the La and eradication are currently a challenge, introductioncountry, as well into as its croplands causes, are date unknown. from thein thehealth face of watersheds of the threat (8, 12). posed by its 1907In North (United America, States) the and first 1936 records () of its expansion in quality, biodiversity and (18). The introduction of C. diffusa in

America occurred accidentally, by the

Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias 154 Centaurea diffusa in Uspallata, Mendoza

scarce rainfall concentrated in the summer speciesentry of (9). bags of from Asia seasonmarkedly (annual arid with average high temperatures136.3 mm) (10). and Minor or Germany, contaminated with this Objective The Larrea vegetation divaricata of the and Uspallata Verbena Valley aspera is. C. diffusa for the Themainly predominant formed by shrublands,vegetation at dominated the sites whereby the specimens were collected are Report the first record of Tessaria absinthioides, flora of Mendoza, and its presence in semiarid salicifolia, Cortaderia rudiuscula high altitude ecosystems in west Argentina. andmainly Proustia composed cuneifolia of: , characteristic Materials and methods of riparian communities of the Uspallata stream (1, 10). The examined material was collected in riparian areas from Uspallata stream Morphological description of the (Department of Las Heras, Uspallata individuals collected Plants up to 50 cm in height, with The description is based on six individuals collectedlocality, Mendozaduring a province,vegetation Argentina). sampling striated, divaricated, with short and stiff long roots. Vertical stems, very branched, hairs and sessile glands along the stem. conducted in February 2019. The Leaveshairs at covered the angles, with short and setstiff ofhairs woolly and specimens were deposited in the MERL weak long hairs. Basal arranged herbarium (Mendoza Ruiz Leal) IADIZA in rosette, petiolate, obovate or ellip- CONICET Mendoza, with the following tical, pinnate to bipinnate, pubescent, numbers: MERL 63753, MERL 63754, 3 to 8 cm long, and 1 to 3 cm wide, with MERL 63755. The taxonomic identification narrow lobes and acuminate at the apex. was made through specific bibliography Alternate stem leaves, sessile, smaller and with species keys (7). pinnate. The upper most leaves are linear Results with brownish margins, sometimes The specimens described were withor linear-lanceolate. spots, with fringes Yellowish on phyllariesthe sides and ending in a spine of 1 to 5 mm long. agricultural activities located in the Heterogamous or subdiscoid capitula, collected in wetlands impacted by Argentina (site 1: 32°37' S 69°22' W, site region of the Uspallata Valley, Mendoza, fertile in the central disc and (1890 m a. s. l., 32°35' S, 69°21' W) is larger neutral flowers in the periphery, located2: 32° 38' in S the 69°22' depression W). The ofcity the of Uspallata solitary or in groups of 2-3, terminals or axillary, urceolate, 1.5-2 cm long. Obovoid the Andean Precordillera, northwest of or cylindrical involucre, 9-13 × 2-5 mm, Valley, between the Cordillera Frontal and margin,7-8 seriate. apex Coriaceoussubulate. The phyllaries, middle ovate the external ovate, 3-3.3 x 3-4.5 mm, pectinate . The local climate is

Tomo 52 • N° 2 • 2020 155 S. Tabeni, E. E. Scheibler, L. de J. Bonjour

Based on the morphological attributes margin of the upper half pectinate, with or narrowly ovate, 4-8 × 3.5-4 mm, to Centaurea diffusa Lam. 1783 (table 1). analyzed, the species described corresponds a differentiated terminal spine 1-4 mm long. The internal oblong, 9-10 × 1 mm, In figure 1 (page 157), photographs of a apexFlowers obtuse, with sometimes white finelyor serrate,purple specimen collected and analyzed in this membranous margin, not thorny. study are provided. papus absent. corolla. Brownish achenes, 2-3 × 1 mm,

Table 1. belonging to C. diffusa Morphological characters of the specimens collected in Uspallata Valley Tabla 1. Uspallata pertenecientes. In bolda C. diffusa the main diagnostic characters used in the identification. Caracteres morfológicos y medidas de los ejemplares colectados en el Valle de . En negrita los principales caracteres diagnósticos utilizados en la identificación. MERL 63753 MERL 63754 MERL 63755 Characters (3 specimens) (1 specimen) (2 specimens)

Winged stems no no no color white purple white no no no

CapitulaPapus surrounded by bracts absent absent absent

PhyllariesHeight (cm) with terminal spine 33 - yes29 - 50 yes26 29yes -36.5 Basal leaves width (cm) 3.2 ± 0.2 No measures 2.2 ± 0.7 Basal leaves length (cm) No measures 6.9 ± 0.5

Upper leaves width (cm) 7.41.7 ± 0.20.5 0.8 ± 0.1 1.6 ± 0.6 Upper leaves length (cm) 1.5 ± 0.2 2.9 ± 0.6

Size of involucre (mm) 2.4 ± 0.4 External Involucral bracts (mm) 2.1-3.39 -10 x x 1.1-1.9 4 -7 4 - 8 x 5 -9 2-3.7 4 - 6 x x 0.7-1.1 6-10 2.2-4.56-8 x x 1.1-2 0.6-1.5 5.2-8 x 1-1.7 InternalMiddle Involucral Involucral bracts bracts (mm) (mm) 4.5-8 x 1-2 8 -9 x 1.1-1.5 7-9 x 0.9-1.3 7.5-9.228 x ± 0.8-1.4 2 27 31 ± 2 Number of flowers per capitula 1.1 ± 0.1 External flowers length (cm) 1.41.1 ± 0.2 1.1 ± 0.2 1.41.1 ± 0.1 CentralSize of achenes flowers (mm)length (cm) 2.5-2.7 x 0.9-1.2 2.3-2.9 x 1-1.3 2.3-2.5 x 0.9-1.3

Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias 156 Centaurea diffusa in Uspallata, Mendoza

Figure 1. C. diffusa specimen collected in the

Uspallata Valley and deposited in the MERL D: involucralherbarium bracts, 1) internal,(IADIZA, 2)CONICET middle, -3) Mendoza). external. A: plant. B: detail of branch with flowers. C: fruit. Figura 1. Ejemplar de C. diffusa colectado

A: enaspecto el Valle de de la Uspallataplanta. B: ydetalle depositado de la ramaen el herbario MERL (IADIZA, CONICET- Mendoza). 1) interno, 2) medio, 3) externo. florífera. C: fruto. D: detalle de los filarios,

Tomo 52 • N° 2 • 2020 157 S. Tabeni, E. E. Scheibler, L. de J. Bonjour

Discussion and conclusions

C. diffusa record in the province of that the possible sources of introduction are related to livestock activities that species towards the west in Argentina, take place at the site studied, we do not Mendoza extends the distribution of this Pampas region (Buenos Aires, La Pampa as it was previously concentrated in the rule out the possibility that other factors records that indicated their presence at theof high unintentional incidence in theintroduction Uspallata Valley,and maximumand Córdoba). altitudes Additionally, close to 900 based m a. s. on l. such as tourist activities, may have caused in North America and Argentina (7, 18), Thedispersion, aspects asrelated reported to their in ecosystems management of high altitude in dry of Argentina (3). tothe more records than obtained 1800 min a.this s. studyl. Regarding extend studies carried out in North America. Due their presence in high altitudeC. diffusa ecosystems has been toin the agroecosystems remarkable expansion are derived of C. diffusa from mentioned in Argentina, these include distribution, their management has been the ecosystems where addressed at multiple levels, covering their ecological and economic impact Theagricultural latter, considered ecosystems as the (La environment Pampa and withBuenos the Aires) largest and number dry forests of exotic (Córdoba). plants in chemical control (15). Recent studies the southern end of the Sierras Pampeanas and methods of biological, physical and Orientales, due to the impact of local anthropic activities (extraction of aromatic indicate that the hybridization process and medicinal plants, deforestation, populationsplays an important of C. diffusarole in andthe successfulC. stoebe presentbiological in invasions, the invaded as noted range in in the western hybrid C. diffusa arefires characteristic and grazing) of (11). the central In our Andes study, of Argentina, was coexisting found in ecosystemswith the native that regionsUSA (4, 5).of Argentina,It is possible where that hybridizationthe impact of occurs in Uspallata Valley, as in other farmlands, roadsides and stream banks addressed (6, ). Future studies on flora of the region in habitats near introducedmolecular aspectsAsteraceae of C.has diffusa been partiallypopula- with the ecological aspects reported in 14 the(Arroyo literature, Uspallata). that Thishighlight is in accordanceits marked address the ecological impacts of this non-nativetions are necessary species asin muchthe structure as those thatand settlements (15, 18). Although we suspect affinity for disturbed sites close to human functioning of high altitude ecosystems References

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Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias 158 Centaurea diffusa in Uspallata, Mendoza

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18. Watson, A. K. 1972. The biology and control of Lam. Master of Science. University of British Columbia. Vancouver. Canada. 101 p. Acknowledgements We thank B. Bender for technical assistance in processing the photographs. We appreciate

the valuable contributions of the anonymous reviewers. Thanks to Florencia Fernández Campón for the valuable contributions in the English version of the manuscript. This work was financed with funds from Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT 2014-0488 E. Scheibler) and CONICET (PUE-IADIZA CONICET 2016).

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