Bifora radians Bieb. (Medit., SW-As.) – A rare and ephemeral alien. Apparently first recorded as a wool alien in the valley of river Vesdre in 1889. By the end of the 19th century observed twice near a granary in Wilsele. Regularly seen in the 20th century in widely scattered locations but much decreasing since the 1940’s. Discovered as an agricultural weed in a Triticum field in 1984 near Perwez (Fabri & Salembier 1985; see also Ullmann 1979 for similar records in Germany), probably introduced unintentionally with Triticum seed from France. In the past decades nearly always associated with grain importation (e.g. Verloove 1992, Verloove & Vandenberghe 1997), the last time in the port of Antwerpen in 2004 and in the port of Gent in 2014. All Belgian records and a distribution map are provided by Fabri & Salembier l.c. and Fabri (1992).
At present Bifora radians is most often seen along road verges, on waste land, near grain mills, etc.
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Selected literature:
Fabri R. (1992) Ombellifères indigènes, naturalisées ou adventices intéressantes pour la flore belge. Dumortiera 50: 4-15.
Fabri R. & Salembier J.-F. (1985) Bifora radians Bieb. (Apiaceae), adventice retrouvée en Belgique. Dumortiera 31: 14-17.
Kästner A. (2003) Porträts ausgewählter seltener österreichischer Gefässpflanzenarten: (1) Bifora radians, (2) Euphorbia glareosa, (3) Helminthotheca echioides, (4) Turgenia latifolia. Neilreichia 2-3: 149-163.
Slavíková Z., Chrtek J. & Křísa B. (1972) Anmerkungen zur Verbreitung von Bifora radians M. Bieb. in der Tschechoslowakei (in Czech). Zprávy České botanické společnosti 7(2-3): 83-88.
Ullmann I. (1979) Neuere Beobachtungen zum Vorkommen von Bifora radians MB in Unterfranken. Gött. Flor. Rundbr. 13(2): 52-54.
Verloove F. (1992) De adventievenflora van de Roeselaarse binnenhaven (West-Vlaanderen, België). Dumortiera 51: 22-29.
Verloove F. & Vandenberghe C. (1997) Nieuwe en interessante voederadventieven in België en aangrenzend Nederland, hoofdzakelijk in 1996. Dumortiera 68: 13-26. [available online at: http://alienplantsbelgium.be/sites/alienplantsbelgium.be/files/dum68p13.pdf]