Veronica spicata L. ingeburgerd op de zuidpunt van Texel

In the Netherlands, Veronica spicata L. is not part of the native flora, but from 2000 onwards, the species seems to escape from cultivation in all parts of the country. We here report the naturalisation of the species in a primary pioneer dune grassland on the Wadden Sea Island of Texel. The species was first reported from this place in 2007, when 5 plants were found. In 2017– 2018, over a hundred plants were found, spread over an area of at least 30 × 30 meter. Obviously, the species disperses by seeds, given the presence of single isolated plants found at the edge of this area. The vegetation in which V. spicata was found is dominated by mosses and lichens and can be attributed to a late phase of the Phleo-Tortuletum brachythecietosum (class Koelerio-Corynephoretea). We discuss the origin of the population, although no definite answer can be given how the species reached the rather remote site. The most plausible explanations are (i) the transport of seeds from local gardens to the site on clothing of visitors or fur of pets or (ii) the subspontaneous dispersal of seeds of escaped plants from elsewhere in the dunes of the Province of North-Holland, in which case birds are the most likely vector.