Distribution of Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray on the territory of the Volgograd region

Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray was noted in floristic finds in the Volgograd region a little over 30 years ago. Apparently, it was brought along with imported grain material, because the first finds are confined to agricultural land. Since then, this adventitious grass has begun to actively spread in the south of Russia. This article provides updated information on the findings of plant communities dominated by Sporobolus cryptandrus in the Volgograd region. This material allows us to determine the trends in the distribution of invasive grass in the region and significantly supplement the forecasts of the dispersal of Sporobolus cryptandrus in southern Russia. In the course of field research, the authors discovered new, previously not noted in the literature, habitats of Sporobolus cryptandrus to the north and east of the known boundaries. All discovered populations are subject to description. They carry out geobotanical descriptions that are accumulated in an electronic database. The descriptions contain GPS coordinates, detailed ecological characteristics, and a list of higher vascular plants from the floristic environment of Sporobolus cryptandrus, indicating abundance and projective coverage. In the course of the analysis of the obtained data, the authors determined the main directions and methods of dispersal Sporobolus skrytostamens. Plant communities, dominated by Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray, demonstrate high distribution dynamics. Intruding into ruderal plant communities of disturbed sandy soils and into natural phytocenoses of sandy steppes and riverine sandy terraces, this adventive North American species has a serious potential to irreversibly change the appearance of psammophytic plant communities in the Volgograd region and southern Russia as a whole.