Abstract

BURKE, Antje  and  MANNHEIMER, Coleen. First record of the North African Launaea arborescens in southern Africa. Bothalia (Online) [online]. 2023, vol.53, n.1, pp.1-10. ISSN 3078-8056.  https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.7.

The first record of the non-native, naturalised Launaea arborescens (Batt.) Murb. in the Namib Desert raised questions of its origin and whether or not it could pose a threat to the indigenous vegetation. The North African plant was introduced in a forestry nursery in the Kuiseb Delta, and some individuals were also planted outside the nursery in the early 1970s. They have maintained a likely viable population for nearly 50 years but have so far not been observed elsewhere and thus appear not to be spreading.

Keywords : exotic plant; forestry; invasive alien; Kuiseb Delta; Namib Desert.

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