FROM CULTIVATION TO SPONTANEOUS FLORA: HORTICULTURAL USE AND NATURALIZATION OF ALIEN SOLANACEAE SPECIES IN ROMANIA

Rezumat

This study examines how introduction purposes and pathways relate to the occurrence outside cultivation and naturalization of alien Solanaceae in Romania. Thirty taxa from 11 genera were assessed using published literature and the national POIM database covering
the period 2020–2022. Information on uses, introduction pathways, establishment status, occurrence records and habitats was compiled. The taxa range from casual escapes to naturalized and invasive plants. Eighteen taxa were classified as casual, five as naturalized, five as lacking recent records and two as invasive: Datura stramonium and Lycium barbarum. Recently recorded Solanum elaeagnifolium also warrants attention because of its invasive potential. The synthesis highlights contrasting establishment outcomes among cultivated taxa and provides a basis for monitoring their persistence and spread in the Romanian flora.