Study on the current status of naturalized plants in South Korea

Abstract

Naturalized plants were identified and recorded in South Korea based on field surveys and related literatures. These plants consisted of 321 taxa in total, belonging to 40 families, 175 genera, 302 species, 15 varieties and 4 forms. Among the plants the family Compositae was dominant containing 68 taxa (21.2% of the total population) and Poaceae with 62 taxa (19.3%) successively. Most of the plants were herbs and only 7 taxa trees. 221 taxa (68.8%) appeared to have invaded the country during the third period (1964-2010). 41.8% (134 taxa) of the total population were originated from Europe. These invasive plants were assessed with the degree of naturalisation which was categorized as I-V types.