New records of alien plants for the flora of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain)

Abstract

Recent field work by the authors in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) yielded records of non-native vascular plants that were not previously reported in the wild. Acokanthera oblongifolia, Alstroemeria ligtu, Capsicum annuum, Chasmanthe bicolor, Cotyledon orbiculata var. spuria, Digitaria setigera, Phlomis purpurea, Setaria pumila subsp. pallide-fusca, Solanum betaceum, S. seaforthianum, Syzygium cumini, Tecoma ×smithii, and Tradescantia spathacea are newly recorded for the Canary Islands whereas Bauhinia variegata, Chasmanthe floribunda, Crassula multicava, Cupressus sempervirens, Ficus rubiginosa, Galinsoga quadriradiata, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Kalanchoe ×houghtonii, Merremia tuberosa, Nerium oleander, Passiflora morifolia, Phytolacca dioica and Salvia hispanica are new records for the flora of Gran Canaria. Although several of these taxa are considered mere ephemerals at present, nearly all of them have the potential to naturalize and/or become invasive.