Tragus racemosus (L.) All. 1785

Lazkov, Georgy & Sennikov, Alexander, 2014, New records in vascular plants alien to Kyrgyzstan, Biodiversity Data Journal 2, pp. 1018-1018 : 1018

Tragus racemosus (L.) All. 1785

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: 34 ; recordedBy: G.Lazkov; Taxon: family: Poaceae; genus: Tragus; specificEpithet: racemosus; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: (L.) Desf.; Location: continent: Asia; country: Kyrgyzstan; stateProvince: Chüy Region; locality: Chuey Depression, Tokmok Town ; decimalLatitude: 42.857; decimalLongitude: 75.29; Identification: identifiedBy: G.A.Lazkov; dateIdentified: 06/18/2013; Event: eventDate: 06/18/2013; year: 2013; month: 6; day: 18; habitat: side of by-pass highway; eventRemarks: alien plant; Record Level: collectionID: 88420; institutionCode: FRU; basisOfRecord: specimen

Native distribution and occurrence in Central Asia

Tragus racemosus is mainly zoochorous because its diasporas may easily get attached to the cattle’s wool ( Tzvelev 1976). This pasture weed, widely distributed in the Mediterranean, southeastern Europe, Asia Minor and Iran, has not been recorded in Central Asia outside its native area in Turkmenistan and doubtfully native presence in the westernmost Kazakhstan ( Tzvelev 1976).

Occurrence in Kyrgyzstan

The present record is the first in Kyrgyzstan and also the first alien occurrence recorded with certainty in Central Asia. A few mature plants (Fig. 7) were observed along the roadside close to Tokmok Town, eastern part of the Chüy Depression (Fig. 9). Diasporas of Tragus racemosus may have been transported to the place with cattle because roadsides of any kind in the proximity of villages and towns are commonly used as pathways for cattle.

Invasion status in Kyrgyzstan

The invasion status of Tragus racemosus in Kyrgyzstan is not ascertained yet but its only known occurrence is likely ephemerous. For this reason the species is provisionally assessed as a casual alien in the country.