Investigations on ecology and distribution of Senecio inaequidens DC. in Tuscany.

Senecio inaequidens DC. is an alien species with one of the fastest expansion rate. In Tuscany, before the results of the present study, literature data were scarce and it was considered (Galasso et al. 2019) as naturalized. Our aim was to define the current distribution of S. inaequidens in Tuscany, investigating the biological characteristics and verifying its occurrence in sites historically recorded and in other ones with ecological conditions suitable for it. Data collected in the field were georeferenced in GIS environment, allowing to produce a map of the current distribution of this species and an estimation of its current population size. Its distribution in Tuscany can be generally considered to date not alarming, since the plant spreads mainly in secondary anthropogenic environments, particularly along railways and roadsides. However, the current extent of S. inaequidens in Tuscany is considerably larger, compared to past bibliographical reports, and thanks to our survey its status changed from naturalized to invasive.