Tellima grandiflora (Pursh) Douglas ex Lindley (N Am.) – A rather frequent and increasing, locally naturalized escape from cultivation. Its naturalization history in some localities is well documented. It has been known since at least 1932 from Mariemont (Duvigneaud 1989) and was already collected in Bois de la Cambre near Brussels in 1941 (herb. L. Delvosalle). Elsewhere, however, Tellima grandiflora obviously is a recent newcomer. Verloove (2002), for instance, considered it doubtfully naturalized in Flanders. Its wider naturalization in Belgium indeed started in the late 1990’s when it was increasingly escaping from parks and estates, for instance in Brussels, near Bruges, etc. (Saintenoy-Simon 1998, Saintenoy-Simon 2013). At present it can be found in large parts of Belgium although it seems much more frequent in the northern part (Flanders) with dense concentrations near Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp and in the Kempen. An up-to-date overview of Belgian observations is available here: https://waarnemingen.be/soort/view/17151. It is usually found in damp woodlands, mostly near houses but sometimes also in more remote localities. It is also naturalized in urban habitats (e.g. Denters 2004). In the past two decades it has also been recorded in most other parts of western Europe (see references).
Tellima grandiflora produces huge amounts of tiny seeds. In suitable habitats that closely match those in its native area (moist, shaded sites), it can be very prolific. Future invasive behavior cannot be excluded (see also Schlatti 2012).
Selected references
Ahokas H. (2014) Tellima kotiutumassa viljelykarkulaisena Etelä-Suomeen? Lutukka 30: 56-59.
Christensen E. (1998) Tellima grandifolia (PURSH) DOUGLAS ex LINDLEY auch in Schleswig-Holstein. Kieler Notiz. Pflanzenkd. Schleswig-Holstein u. Hamburg 25/26: 169-173.
Collins F.W. & Bohm B.A. (1974) Chemotaxonomic studies in the Saxifragaceae s.l.: 1. The flavonoids of Tellima grandiflora. Canad. J. Bot. 52(2): 307-312.
Denters T. (2004) Stadsplanten. Veldgids voor de stad. Fontaine Uitgevers, ‘s-Graveland: 432 p.
Duvigneaud J. (1989) Tellima grandiflora existe toujours à Mariemont! Nat. Mosana 42(4): 149.
Ellis H.A. (1998) Fringe cups Tellima grandiflora (Pursh) Douglas ex Lindley (Saxifragaceae), established in the valley of the River Wansbeck east of Morpeth. Vasculum 83(1): 11-12. [available online at: http://www.the-vasculum.com/definitive_vasculum_archive/1998/1998.pdf]
Jagel A., Hetzel I. & Loos G.H. (2011) Die Falsche Alraunenwurzel (Tellima grandiflora [PURSH] DOUGL. ex LINDL., Saxifragaceae), eingebürgert im Ruhrgebiet. Jahrbuch des Bochumer Botanischen Vereins 3(2): 15-24. [available online at: http://www.botanik-bochum.de/publ/OVBBV3_2_JagelHetzelLoos_Tellima_grand...
Oberdorfer E. (1985) Tellima grandiflora (Pursh) Douglas ex Lindley (Saxifragaceae), ein nordwest amerikanischer Neuankoemmling in Suedschwarzwald. Göttinger Florist. Rundbr. 19: 26-28.
Rieseberg L.H. & Soltis D.E. (1987) Allozymic differentiation between Tolmiea menziesii and Tellima grandiflora (Saxifragaceae). Syst. Bot. 12(1): 154-161.
Saintenoy-Simon J. (1998) Excursions 1997 du Groupe Flore Bruxelloise. Adoxa 20-21: 15-32.
Saintenoy-Simon J. (ed.) (2013) Groupe Flore Bruxelloise. Rapport des excursions de 2012. Adoxa 76-77: 13-48.
Schlatti F. (2012) Pflanzen mit invasivem Potenzial in Botanischen Gärten : IV: Tellima grandiflora (Saxifragaceae). Carinthia II. Teil 1: Populärwissenschaftlicher Teil. Mitteilungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins für Kärnten 202/122: 241-246. [available online at: http://www.zobodat.at/pdf/CAR_202_122_0241-0246.pdf]
Soltis D.E. & Bohm B.A. (1985) Chromosomal and flavonoid chemical confirmation of intergeneric hybridization between Tolmiea and Tellima (Saxifragaceae). Revue canadienne de botanique 63(7): 1309-1312. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Douglas_Soltis/publication/23716250...
Soltis D.E., Mayer M.S., Soltis P.S. & Edgerton M. (1991) Chloroplast-DNA variation in Tellima grandiflora (Saxifragaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 78(10): 1379-1390. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250270139_Chloroplast-DNA_Varia...
Strauss J. (1986) Tellima grandiflora auch in Wolfsburg. Göttinger Flor. Rundbr. 19(12): 102-103.
Verloove F. (2002) Ingeburgerde plantensoorten in Vlaanderen. Mededeling van het Instituut voor Natuurbehoud n° 20: 227 p.
Walter E. (2007) Pflanzen, von denen in der mitteleuropäischen Literatur selten oder gar keine Abbildungen zu finden sind: Meconopsis cambrica (L.) VIG., Tellima grandiflora (PURSH) DOUGLAS & LINDL., Eryngium giganteum BIEB. Florist. Rundbr. 40: 77-79.
Weiblen G.D. & Brehm B.G. (1996) Reproductive strategies and barriers to hybridization between Tellima grandiflora and Tolmeia menziesii (Saxifragaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 83(7): 910-918. [available online at: http://geo.cbs.umn.edu/Weiblen&Brehm1996.pdf]