Gutenbergia rueppellii Schultz-Bip. (syn.: Ethulia rueppellii (Sch. Bip.) Hochst. ex A. Rich.) (trop. Afr.) – An exceptional and ephemeral alien. A single individual was recorded on rough ground near a grain mill in Roeselare in 2013.
This is a remarkable record of a species that is not widely known as an agricultural weed. To our knowledge it has not been recorded elsewhere as an adventive in Europe. It is known as a weed of cultivated fields in Ethiopia and other parts of eastern Africa, as well as in Central Africa (e.g. Burkill 1985, Lisowski 1989). This probably explains its occurrence as a grain alien in Belgium. It was associated with other interesting weeds from various continents, such as Lachnagrostis filiformis (Australia), Parthenium hysterophorus (North America), Schkuhria pinnata (South America), Brassica barrelieri (Mediterranean area), etc.
Selected literature:
Burkill H.M. (1985) The useful plants of west tropical Africa, vol 1
Lisowski S. (1989) Flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaïre – Rwanda – Burundi): Compositae (Deuxième partie: tribu Inuleae). [available online at: http://www.br.fgov.be/RESEARCH/DATABASES/FOCA/genusdetails.php?name=Gutenbergia]