Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam. (syn.: Rhamnus lotus L.) (S-Eur., N-Afr., Arabia) – An exceptional alien. A single shrub was discovered at the foot of a wall in the city of Ghent in 2006. It was subsequently regularly confirmed but was no longer seen since 2009. It was either removed or did not withstand winter cold.
Ziziphus lotus is cultivated as an ornamental in Europe but probably only rarely so in Belgium (if at all). In Gent it grows in an area with many immigrants and it might have been introduced directly from northern Africa or the Middle East.
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