NEOPHYTES IN THE LOWER FLOODPLAIN OF THE JIU RIVER, DOWNSTREAM OF CRAIOVA, ROMANIA

Rezumat

Neophytes are those allochthonous plants that were introduced into a certain geographical region after 1500. The present study aimed to make an inventory of all species of neophytes in the Jiu River floodplain, downstream of the municipality of Craiova, because these places are the most vulnerable to the zoo-anthropogenic factor. The field studies concerned all the natural, anthropized habitats and cultivated lands in the Jiu floodplain, between the municipality of Craiova and the point of the mouth of the Jiu River into the Danube. Following the research carried out, a scientific inventory was made that includes 152 plant taxa. They were analysed from the taxonomic point of view, biological forms, geographical elements, lifespan, introduction pathways, ecological indices and degree of invasiveness. The 152 taxa belong to 30 botanical families and 68 genera. The annual species have the best representation. On the one hand, the large areas occupied by the agricultural land in the Jiu floodplain and the numerous species that are introduced for ornamental purposes and then escaped from cultivation contribute to this. Over 50% of the taxa identified are invasive species or those that show invasive potential. A high percentage of the species are introduced deliberately