Saliaj et al. 2024, Biologica Nyssana 15(1) 15 (1) June 2024: 1-11 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11517530 Spontaneous Flora of the Urban Areas of Tirana, three new species recorded for the first time in Albania Original Article Oresta Saliaj Research Center of Flora and Fauna, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Petro Nini Luarasi Street, No. 80, Albania oresta.saliaj@fshn.edu.al (corresponding author) Ermelinda Gjeta Research Center of Flora and Fauna, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Albania Julian Shehu Research Center of Flora and Fauna, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Albania Alfred Mullaj Research Center of Flora and Fauna, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Albania Received: April 12, 2024 Revised: May 02, 2024 Accepted: May 21, 2024 Abstract: This study investigates the diversity and characteristics of spontaneous flora in urban areas of Tirana, capital of Albania. Field surveys, based on a defined methodology, conducted during the spring-summer period of 2023, revealed a total of 262 plant species belonging to 53 families. The taxonomic distribution highlights Poaceae and Compositae as the most species-rich families. Three new plant species were documented for the first time in Albania, increasing the list of flora diversity of the country. Biogeographical analysis indicates a dominance of Euro-Mediterranean species, reflecting the region’s geographical influences. Furthermore, an analysis of flowering periods shows seasonal variations, with summer hosting the highest number of flowering species. These findings contribute to our understanding of urban plant diversity, adaptation strategies, and biogeographical patterns in Tirana. Nevertheless, the surveyed area is rather small, only 125 ha, and further research in the future is needed and might reveal new findings. Key words: spontaneous flora, Tirana, new records, urban areas Apstrakt: Spontana flora urbanih područja Tirane, tri nove vrste zabeležene u Albaniji Ova studija istražuje diverzitet i karakteristike spontane flore u urbanim područjima Tirane, Albanija. Terenska istraživanja, zasnovana na definisanoj metodologiji, sprovedena tokom prolećno-letnjeg perioda 2023. godine, otkrila su ukupno 262 biljne vrste koje se mogu svrstati u 53 porodice. Taksonomska distribucija ističe porodice Poaceae i Compositae kao najbogatije vrstama. Tri nove biljne vrste su dokumentovane po prvi put u Albaniji, čime je povećan floristički spisak zemlje. Biogeografska analiza ukazuje na dominaciju evro- mediteranskih vrsta, što odražava geografske uticaje regiona. Analiza perioda cvetanja pokazuje sezonske varijacije, pri čemu je leto period sa najvećim brojem cvetajućih vrsta. Ova saznanja doprinose razumevanju urbane biljne raznovrsnosti, adaptacionih strategija i biogeografskih obrazaca u Tirani. Ipak, istraživano područje je relativno malo, samo 125 ha, te su potrebna dalja istraživanja u budućnosti koja bi mogla otkriti nove nalaze. Ključne reči: spontana flora, Tirana, novi nalazi, urbana područja Introduction The city of Tirana, as the capital of Albania, stands out as the most urbanized area in the country, boasting a population exceeding 1 million inhabitants as reported by the Institute of Statistics in year 2023. Over the past three decades, rapid urban expansion has been marked by the spread of tall buildings and an increased population density per unit of land. The trend towards urbanization has been associated with a decline in biodiversity within urban landscapes (Malkinson et al., 2018). Within Tirana’s urban areas, the flora predominantly comprises cultivated plants, although spontaneous species also boom in locations such as sidewalks, parks, and building walls. Spontaneous vegetation, characterized by plants not deliberately planted by humans and not native to natural habitats, is a common feature of urban environments (Cervelli, 2013). These spontaneous plants are vital biological assets, harboring a rich diversity of species with varied floral, foliar, and fruit characteristics, as well as biomass. Importantly, spontaneous vegetation exhibits a notably higher proportion of native species © 2024 Saliaj et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially under the same license as the original. 1 compared to cultivated varieties (Li et al., 2019). Despite the significance of urban ecosystems, research on such environments remains limited in Albania. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the diversity of spontaneous flora within Tirana’s urban areas, focusing on various biological aspects of these species. Materials and Methods The field work for data collection was carried out during the spring-summer period of 2023. The field trips were carried out in 20 sampling areas defined and selected randomly, according to the selected methodology. The statue of Scanderbeg in Scanderbeg square is taken as the central point. A circular area with a radius of 2 km has been selected from this statue (Fig. 1). Grids of 250 m × 250 m squares were drawn on this layer and within these grids, 20 were selected and sampled using the random selection function in the QGIS 3.4 Madeira program. One of the selected grids is located in the largest park of Tirana city (Tirana Lake Park). This area is different from the 19 other grids which have a typical flora of the urban areas, because in this park are still present some semi-natural and natural habitats. Field data recording was conducted using the “Teneriffa Topo Maps” application, which facilitates efficient data entry, and point georeferencing with coordinates (Fig. 2). Additionally, this application enables the extraction of collected data in formats compatible with GIS programs, which can then be further processed in Excel for the generation of final lists. During the fieldwork, plant identification was primarily conducted on-site in most cases. For taxa that posed identification challenges, plant specimens were collected and further analyzed in the laboratory. The identification process in the laboratory involved consulting relevant literature sources such as the “Flora of Albania” volumes 1-4 published by the Academy of Sciences between 1988 and 2000 and “Flora Europaea” by Tutin et al. (1964-1980). The Euro+Med PlantBase database was utilized to determine the scientific names of the identified species. For each of the 20 sampling squares, a list is provided of the plants found, including their species name, family, chorology, phenology (flowering period), and biological form.. These elements were thoroughly analyzed as part of the study. 2 BIOLOGICA NYSSANA ● 15 (1) June 2024: 1-11 Saliaj et al. ● Spontaneous Flora of the Urban Areas of Tirana, three new species recorded for the first time in Albania Fig. 1. Map of the sampling stations BIOLOGICA NYSSANA ● 15 (1) June 2024: 1-11 Saliaj et al. ● Spontaneous Flora of the Urban Areas of Tirana, three new species recorded for the first time in Albania 3 Results and discussion The survey conducted to investigate the spontaneous flora in the urban areas of Tirana revealed a total of 262 species (Tab. 1), belonging to 53 families (Tab. 2). In Tirana Lake Park, apart from the typical ruderal flora, species not common for the urban areas such as: Potentilla micrantha DC., Phillyrea latifolia L., Quercus pubescens Willd., Dorycnium pentaphyllum Scop., Carpinus orientalis, Rosa sempervirens L., etc. (Tab. 1) were also found, due to the presence of their natural habitats in the park. Fig. 2. Pictures from Tenerife Topo Maps application Table 1. List of species found in the surveyed area No. Species No. Species 1 Amaranthus blitum L. 12 Arum maculatum L. 2 Apium graveolens L. 13 Arum italicum Mill. 3 Orlaya grandiflora (L.) Hoffm. 14 Hedera helix L. 4 Daucus carota L. 15 Aristolochia clematitis L. 5 Eryngium amethystinum L. 16 Asparagus acutifolius L. 6 Eryngium campestre L. 17 Ruscus aculeatus L. 7 Scandix pecten-veneris L. 18 Asplenium adiantum-nigrum L. 8 Tordylium apulum L. 19 Asplenium ceterach L. 9 Torilis arvensis (Huds.) Link 20 Asplenium trichomanes L. 10 Torilis leptophylla (L.) Rchb. f. 21 Cynoglossum officinale L. 11 Vinca major L. 22 Echium italicum L. 4 BIOLOGICA NYSSANA ● 15 (1) June 2024: 1-11 Saliaj et al. ● Spontaneous Flora of the Urban Areas of Tirana, three new species recorded for the first time in Albania No. Species No. Species 23 Echium plantagineum L. 65 Filago germanica (L.) Huds. 24 Echium vulgare L. 66 Helminthotheca echioides (L.) Holub 25 Heliotropium europaeum L. 67 Hypochaeris achyrophorus L. 26 Calepina irregularis (Asso) Thell. 68 Hypochoeris glabra L. 27 Sinapis alba L. 69 Lactuca muralis (L.) Gaertn. 28 Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. 70 Lactuca saligna L. 29 Diplotaxis muralis (L.) DC. 71 Lactuca serriola L. 30 Rapistrum rugosum (L.) All. 72 Lactuca viminea (L.) J. Presl & C. Presl 31 Rorippa amphibia (L.) Besser 73 Matricaria chamomilla L. 32 Humulus lupulus L. 74 Picris hieracioides L. 33 Arenaria leptoclados (Rchb.) Guss. 75 Scolymus hispanicus L. 34 Sagina apetala Ard. 76 Senecio vulgaris L. 35 Saponaria officinalis L. 77 Sonchus arvensis L. 36 Arenaria serpyllifolia L. 78 Sonchus asper (L.) Hill 37 Cerastium brachypetalum Pers. 79 Sonchus oleraceus L. 38 Cerastium glomeratum Thuill. 80 Taraxacum sect. Taraxacum F. H. Wigg. 39 Herniaria glabra L. 81 Tussilago farfara L. 40 Polycarpon tetraphyllum (L.) L. 82 Urospermum picroides (L.) F. W. Schmidt 41 Stellaria media (L.) Cirillo 83 Pilosella officinarum F. W. Schultz & Sch. Bip. 42 Chenopodiastrum murale (L.) S. Fuentes & al. 84 Lactuca virosa L. 43 Chenopodium album L. 85 Calystegia sepium (L.) R. Br. 44 Hypericum perforatum L. 86 Convolvulus arvensis L. 45 Carduus acanthoides L. 87 Cornus mas L. 46 Cirsium italicum DC. 88 Cornus sanguinea L. 47 Crepis setosa Haller f. 89 Carpinus orientalis Mill. 48 Artemisia absinthium L. 90 Ostrya carpinifolia Scop. 49 Crepis sancta (L.) Bornm. 91 Sedum album L. 50 Picris hieracioides L. 92 Sedum dasyphyllum L. 51 Artemisia annua L. 93 Bryonia alba L. 52 Artemisia vulgaris L. 94 Carex divulsa Stokes 53 Bellis perennis L. 95 Carex flacca Schreb. 54 Bidens tripartitus L. 96 Carex hirta L. 55 Centaurea calcitrapa L. 97 Cyperus rotundus L. 56 Centaurea solstitialis L. 98 Scirpoides holoschoenus (L.) Soják 57 Cichorium intybus L. 99 Cystopteris fragilis (L.) Bernh. 58 Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. 100 Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn 59 Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten. 101 Dioscorea communis (L.) Caddick & Wilkin 60 Coleostephus myconis (L.) Rchb. f. 102 Equisetum arvense L. 61 Crepis foetida L. 103 Euphorbia terracina L. 62 Crepis neglecta L. 104 Chrozophora tinctoria (L.) A. Juss. 63 Crepis pulchra L. 105 Euphorbia chamaesyce L. 64 Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter 106 Euphorbia helioscopia L. BIOLOGICA NYSSANA ● 15 (1) June 2024: 1-11 Saliaj et al. ● Spontaneous Flora of the Urban Areas of Tirana, three new species recorded for the first time in Albania No. Species No. Species 107 Euphorbia maculata L. 147 Mentha pulegium L. 108 Euphorbia peplus L. 148 Mentha spicata L. 109 Dorycnium pentaphyllum Scop. 149 Mentha x piperita L. 110 Vicia hybrida L. 150 Origanum vulgare L. 111 Trifolium fragiferum L. 151 Prunella vulgaris L. 112 Trifolium resupinatum L. 152 Stachys germanica L. 113 Colutea arborescens L. 153 Linum trigynum L. 114 Dorycnium hirsutum (L.) Ser. 154 Lythrum salicaria L. 115 Lathyrus annuus L. 155 Malva parviflora L. 116 Lotus angustissimus L. 156 Alcea biennis Winterl 117 Lotus corniculatus L. 157 Malva neglecta Wallr. 118 Medicago arabica (L.) Huds. 158 Malva sylvestris L. 119 Medicago lupulina L. 159 Phillyrea latifolia L. 120 Medicago orbicularis (L.) Bartal. 160 Epilobium dodonaei Vill. 121 Medicago polymorpha L. 161 Epilobium hirsutum L. 122 Trifolium campestre Schreb 162 Epilobium lanceolatum Sebast. & Mauri 123 Trifolium hybridum L. 163 Oxalis corniculata L. 124 Trifolium nigrescens Viv. 164 Veronica polita Fr. 125 Trifolium repens L. 165 Cymbalaria muralis P. Gaertn. , B. Mey. & Scherb. 126 Vicia cracca L. 166 Kickxia elatine (L.) Dumort. 127 Vicia grandiflora Scop. 167 Linaria vulgaris Mill. 128 Vicia hirsuta (L.) Gray 168 Plantago lanceolata L. 129 Vicia sativa L. 169 Plantago major L. 130 Quercus cerris L. 170 Plantago media L. 131 Quercus pubescens Willd. 171 Veronica anagallis-aquatica L. 132 Blackstonia perfoliata (L.) Huds. 172 Veronica arvensis L. 133 Centaurium erythraea Rafn 173 Veronica chamaedrys L. 134 Geranium dissectum L. 174 Veronica prostrata L. 135 Erodium cicutarium (L.) L'Hér. 175 Veronica serpyllifolia L. 136 Geranium molle L. 176 Veronica beccabunga L. 137 Geranium purpureum Vill. 177 Lolium rigidum subsp. lepturoides Sennen & Mauricio 138 Geranium sanguineum L. 178 Alopecurus pratensis L. 139 Ballota nigra L. 179 Brachypodium pinnatum (L.) P. Beauv. 140 Prunella laciniata (L.) L. 180 Achnatherum bromoides (L.) P. Beauv. 141 Clinopodium nepeta (L.) Kuntze 181 Aegilops geniculata Roth 142 Clinopodium vulgare L. 182 Aegilops neglecta Bertol. 143 Marrubium vulgare L. 183 Agrostis capillaris L. 144 Melissa officinalis L. 184 Agrostis stolonifera L. 145 Mentha arvensis L. 185 Anisantha rigida (Roth) Hyl. 146 Mentha longifolia (L.) L. 186 Anisantha sterilis (L.) Nevski 5 BIOLOGICA NYSSANA ● 15 (1) June 2024: 1-11 Saliaj et al. ● Spontaneous Flora of the Urban Areas of Tirana, three new species recorded for the first time in Albania No. Species No. Species 187 Anisantha tectorum (L.) Nevski 225 Polygonum aviculare L. 188 Avena barbata Link 226 Rumex conglomeratus Murray 189 Avena fatua L. 227 Rumex crispus L. 190 Avena sterilis L. 228 Rumex patientia L. 191 Bromus hordeaceus L. 229 Rumex pulcher L. 192 Catapodium rigidum (L.) C. E. Hubb. 230 Portulaca oleracea L. 193 Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. 231 Lysimachia nummularia L. 194 Cynosurus echinatus L. 232 Anagallis arvensis L. 195 Dactylis glomerata L. 233 Anagallis foemina Mill. 196 Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. 234 Adiantum capillus-veneris L. 197 Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. 235 Clematis vitalba L. 198 Holcus lanatus L. 236 Ranunculus acris L. 199 Hordeum murinum L. 237 Ranunculus muricatus L. 200 Lagurus ovatus L. 238 Ranunculus sardous Crantz 201 Lolium multiflorum Lam. 239 Aremonia agrimonoides (L.) DC. 202 Lolium perenne L. 240 Geum urbanum L. 203 Ochlopoa annua (L.) H. Scholz 241 Potentilla micrantha DC. 204 Phalaris brachystachys Link 242 Potentilla reptans L. 205 Phleum echinatum Host 243 Potentilla supina L. 206 Phragmites australis (Cav.) Steud. 244 Rosa canina L. 207 Piptatherum miliaceum (L.) Coss. 245 Rosa sempervirens L. 208 Poa pratensis L. 246 Rubus ulmifolius Schott 209 Poa trivialis L. 247 Sanguisorba minor Scop. 210 Polypogon viridis (Gouan) Breistr. 248 Galium aparine L. 211 Rostraria cristata (L.) Tzvelev 249 Galium tricornutum Dandy 212 Setaria pumila (Poir.) Roem. & Schult. 250 Sherardia arvensis L. 213 Setaria verticillata (L.) P. Beauv. 251 Verbascum blattaria L. 214 Setaria viridis (L.) P. Beauv. 252 Verbascum sinuatum L. 215 Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. 253 Verbascum thapsus L. 216 Trisetaria panicea (Lam.) Paunero 254 Solanum nigrum L. 217 Triticum aestivum L. 255 Solanum villosum Mill. 218 Triticum aestivum L. subsp. aestivum 256 Urtica dioica L. 219 Vulpia myuros (L.) C. C. Gmel. 257 Parietaria judaica L. 220 Zea mays L. 258 Verbena officinalis L. 221 Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort. 259 Sambucus ebulus L. 222 Schedonorus pratensis (Huds.) P. Beauv. 260 Viola odorata L. 223 Persicaria maculosa Gray 261 Tribulus terrestris L. 224 Fallopia convolvulus (L.) Á. Löve 262 Cenraurea benedicta (L.) L. The results of this study give new data of the distribution area of some species, not mentioned in previous publications. Epilobium lanceolatum Sebast. & Mauri, a typical mountain species (beech woods, shady rocks) (Barina et al., 2017), is found only once in one of the selected stations of the urban areas of Tirana (Fig. 3). Malva parviflora L., is another finding of this study, which according to Barina et al. (2017, 2018), is the species erroneously 6 BIOLOGICA NYSSANA ● 15 (1) June 2024: 1-11 Saliaj et al. ● Spontaneous Flora of the Urban Areas of Tirana, three new species recorded for the first time in Albania 7 Table 2. List of families to which the plant species belong and the number of species per family Family Species Family Species Amaranthaceae Juss. 1 Gentianaceae Juss. 2 Apiaceae Lindl. 9 Geraniaceae Juss. 5 Apocynaceae Juss. 1 Lamiaceae Lindl. 14 Araceae 2 Linaceae Perleb. 1 Araliaceae Juss. 1 Lythraceae J. St.-Hil. 1 Aristolochiaceae Juss. 1 Malvaceae Juss. 4 Asparagaceae 2 Oleaceae Hoffmanns. & Link 1 Aspleniaceae Newman 3 Onagraceae Juss. 3 Boraginaceae Juss. 5 Oxalidaceae R. Br. 1 Brassicaceae Burnett 6 Plantaginaceae Juss. 13 Cannabaceae Martinov 1 Poaceae Barnhart 46 Caryophyllaceae Juss. 9 Polygonaceae Juss. 7 Chenopodiaceae Vent. 2 Portulacaceae Juss. 1 Clusiaceae Lindl. 1 Primulaceae Vent. 3 Compositae Giseke 41 Pteridaceae E. D. M. Kirchn. 1 Convolvulaceae Juss. 2 Ranunculaceae Juss. 4 Cornaceae (Dumort.) Dumort. 2 Rosaceae 9 Corylaceae Mirb. 2 Rubiaceae Juss. 3 Crassulaceae DC. 2 Scrophulariaceae Juss. 3 Cucurbitaceae Juss. 1 Solanaceae 2 Cyperaceae Juss. 5 Urticaceae Juss. 2 Cystopteridaceae Schmakov 1 Verbenaceae 1 Dennstaedtiaceae Lotsy 1 Viburnaceae Raf. 1 Dioscoreaceae 1 Violaceae Batsch 1 Equisetaceae DC. 1 Zygophyllaceae R. Br. 1 Euphorbiaceae Juss. 6 Fabaceae Lindl. 21 Fagaceae Dumort. 2 Total 262 reported for the country (Fig. 3). The casual finding of Hypochaeris achyrophorus L. during the filedwork, represents a new distribution area of this species, previously reported only in the southern part of the country (Delvinë, Gjirokastër, Kolonjë, Saranda) (Vangjeli, 2018). The findings indicate that the two most well- represented families are Poaceae, with 46 species, and Compositae, with 41 species. Interestingly, these two families also rank among the most species- rich families in the “Flora of Albania” 4th edition (Vangjeli et al., 2000). Additionally, approximately 21 families, namely Amaranthaceae, Apocynaceae, Araliaceae, Aris- tolochiaceae, Cannabaceae, Clusiaceae, Cucur- bitaceae, Cystopteridaceae, Dennstaedtiaceae, Di- oscoreaceae, Equisetaceae, Linaceae, Lythraceae, Oleaceae, Oxalidaceae, Portulacaceae, Pteridaceae, Verbenaceae, Viburnaceae, Violaceae and Zygo- phyllaceae, are each represented by only one species in the surveyed area. Three new species have been documented for the first time in Albania as a result of this study (Fig. 4): 1. Compositae family - Lactuca virosa L. (Coordinates: 19.826632, 41.322492) 2. Lamiaceae family - Mentha arvensis L. (Coordinates: 19.82493639, 41.32649646) 3. Poaceae family - Trisetaria panicea (Lam.) Paunero (Coordinates: 19.8130488, 41.340192) The distribution map of Mentha arvensis L. BIOLOGICA NYSSANA ● 15 (1) June 2024: 1-11 Saliaj et al. ● Spontaneous Flora of the Urban Areas of Tirana, three new species recorded for the first time in Albania Fig. 3. Photographs of Epilobium lanceolatum Sebast. & Mauri (left) and Malva parviflora L. (right) Fig. 4. Photographs of Trisetaria panicea (Lam.) Paunero (left) and Lactuca virosa L. (right) 8 BIOLOGICA NYSSANA ● 15 (1) June 2024: 1-11 Saliaj et al. ● Spontaneous Flora of the Urban Areas of Tirana, three new species recorded for the first time in Albania 9 indicates that this species is native to all European countries and western Asia, except for Albania. Lactuca virosa L. is distributed across most of Europe, being native to countries such as Greece, North Macedonia, and Italy (as per Euro Plus Med data base). Trisetaria panicea (Lam.) Paunero is native to the western and central parts of Europe, including Italy. With these new findings, the European distribution maps for these species are now completed with new data. Based on Raunkiaer’s (1934) classification of plant adaptation strategies, the spontaneous flora of urban areas in Tirana is predominantly composed of therophytes and hemicryptophytes, with 117 and 101 species, respectively. Geophytes represent the next most abundant group with 22 species, followed by phanerophytes with 11 species. Nanophanerophytes and chamaephytes exhibit the lowest species count, with only 5 and 6 species respectively (Fig. 5). Fig. 5. Classification of life forms/species Fig. 6. Chorological types of spontaneous species recorded in urban Tirana BIOLOGICA NYSSANA ● 15 (1) June 2024: 1-11 Saliaj et al. ● Spontaneous Flora of the Urban Areas of Tirana, three new species recorded for the first time in Albania Fig. 7. The analyses of flowering species per months In terms of chorological types, the spontaneous flora of Tirana is characterized by a dominance of Euro-Mediterranean element, comprising 66 species, followed by Eurasian element with 51 species, European element with 38 species, Mediterranean element with 42 species, Paleo- temperate element with 26 species (Fig. 6). These findings align with Albania’s geographical location, explaining the prevalence of these biogeographical types. Other chorological types exhibit fewer than 15 representative species each. We examined the flowering patterns of plant species over the course of a year, based on literature review for autumn and winter season (“Flora of Albania”, vol I-IV, 1988-2000) and from the field observation during spring-summer season. In January, 6 species from our survey are in flower, followed by an increase to 12 species in February. March marked a substantial rise, with 54 species flowering. April and May exhibited a significant surge in flowering, with 110 and 184 species respectively, showcasing the peak of floral diversity and activity during the spring season. As the summer months progressed, the number of flowering species remained relatively high, with June, July, and August recording 218, 192, and 156 species, respectively. The transition to autumn saw a gradual decline in flowering, yet September and October still boasted 94 and 50 species respectively. By November and December, the number of flowering species decreased to 13 and 7, marking the end of the flowering season for many plants in our study area (Fig. 7). Conclusion This study highlights the diverse flora found within urban areas of Tirana, Albania, showing a total of 262 species from 53 different families, with Poaceae and Compositae emerging as the most species- rich families. Three plant species Lactuca virosa L., Mentha arvensis L., Trisetaria panicea (Lam.) 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