New distributional records of non-native vascular plants in northern Italy Author Verloove, Filip Botanic Garden of Meise, Nieuwelaan 38, B- 1860 Meise, filip.verloove@br.fgov.be Author Ardenghi, Nicola M. G. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University text Natural History Sciences 2015 2015-06-30 2 1 5 14 http://dx.doi.org/10.4081/nhs.2015.219 journal article 10.4081/nhs.2015.219 2385-0922 12523705 Bidens connatus Muhl. ex Willd., Sp. Pl. , ed. 4 [Willdenow] , 3 (3): 1718 (-1719). 1803. [ Fig. 1 ] ( Asteraceae ) Naturalized neophyte new to the flora of Piemonte ( Conti et al. , 2005 ; Celesti-Grapow et al. , 2009a ; Banfi & Galasso, 2010 ). ITALY . Piemonte . Prov. Alessandria : Villanova Monferrato, W of motorway E25 , rice fields, 12.09.2014 , F . Verloove 11101 ( BR ) . Bidens connatus is originally native in North America but known as a more or less widely naturalized xenophyte in Europe (e.g. Schumacher, 1941 ; Debray, 1963 ). In Italy it was known so far from Lombardia , Emilia-Romagna , Friuli-Venezia Giulia , Marche and Veneto , either as a casual, naturalized or invasive alien ( Celesti-Grapow et al. , 2009a ; Ardenghi, 2015). In fact, its genuine distribution and degree of naturalization should be critically reassessed, the species being much reminiscent of native B. tripartitus L. It is best distinguished from the latter by leaves usually undivided and cypselae 4-angled (not flattened) with usually tuberculate faces ( Strother & Weedon, 2006 ). In September 2014 Bidens connatus was recorded on several occasions. In addition to the locality cited above, it was also seen in Valenza , Bastida Pancarana, Boretto, Ficarolo, Mezzano, Piacenza, Ravalle, San Rocco al Porto and Viadana (all along river Po) and in Serravalle Scrivia (along river Scrivia). It is obviously much more widespread, firmly established but widely overlooked. It should be recalled that according to Art. 62.2(a) of the International Code of Nomenclature ( McNeill et al. , 2012 ), Bidens should be treated as a compound, “ Bi -dens ”, the last word ( dens , dentis ) being male; then the specific epithet should be “ connatus ” instead of “ connata ” (see also next species). Even though initially recommended by the Report of the Committee for Spermatophyta (Brummitt, 2000), the proposal to conserve the name Bidens with a conserved gender ( Harriman, 1998 ), was finally not upheld (McNeill et al. , 2006, App. III ) (Banfi & Galasso, 2010).