Addition to the non-native flora of Murmansk Region

Abstract

This article presents data on 18 new non-native species to Murmansk Region: Aconitum neomontanum Wulfen. (Rybachy Peninsula), Alliaria petiolata (M. Bieb.) Cavara et Grande (Apatity Town), Blitum virgatum L. (Apatity Town), Brassica oleracea L. (Umba Settlement), Campanula barbata L. (vicinity of Kirovsk Town), Chelidonium majus L. (Kandalaksha Town), Crocus vernus (L.) Hill (vicinity of Kovda Settlement), Doronicum carpaticum (Griseb. et Schenk) Nyman (vicinity of Kovda Settlement), Epilobium bergianum A. K. Skvortsov (Murmansk City), Epilobium pseudorubescens A. K. Skvortsov (Murmansk City, Apatity Town), Galinsoga parviflora Cav. (Rayakoski Settlement), Lilium maculatumThunb. (Kandalaksha Town), Lilium martagon L. (Rybachy Peninsula), Lychnis chalcedonica L. (Kandalaksha Town), Medicago × varia Martyn. (Apatity Town), Myosotis sylvatica Ehrh. ex Hoffm. (Kandalaksha Town, vicinity of Kovda Settlement, Rayakoski Settlement), Nepeta cataria L. (Apatity Town), Papaver croceum Ledeb. (vicinity of Kovda Settlement, Kandalaksha Town), Senecio subalpinus K. Koch (vicinity of Kirovsk Town), Verbascum nigrum L. (Kirovsk Town), Viola × wittrockiana Gams ex Nauenb. et Buttler (vicinity of Kovda Settlement). The information on the new locations and distribution of 32 rare alien species in the region is provided. According to our preliminary assessment, the alien flora of the region includes 502 species, which is quite a lot for such a northern territory. The high diversity is associated with different pathways and time of introduction due to various aspects of human activity. Over the last decades, the most active colonization by non-native species of Murmansk region is associated with modern household plots, urban gardening, plant introduction in the Polar-alpine botanical garden-institute, places of storage of solid household waste and the use of imported soils for siding road slopes. The most remarkable occurrences of non-native species are at the sites of the abandoned settlements of the Finns and Norwegians, as well as at the places of military operations during the Second World War.