Ruderal vascular plants on a waste ground in the island of Dånö, Åland Islands, SW Finland

The Åland Islands, SW Finland, are known for luxuriant vegetation with numerous calciphilic vascular plants, but ruderal plants are rather few compared to the adjoining regions of Finland and Sweden. However, new ruderal plants are occasionally found in Åland. We came across a waste ground in the island of Dånö, municipality of Geta, on which several non-familiar vascular plants grew. The waste ground has been used for dumping flower shop garbage and thus some unfamiliar plants have been dumped there. The following species have not been found previously as ruderal plants in the Åland Islands: Allium sativum, Cucumis melo, Dipsacus fullonum, Hedera helix, Inula helenium and Lactuca serriola. Several other more or less rare ruderals were also found on the waste ground: Bromus secalinus, Conyza canadensis, Holcus lanatus, Lepidium densiflorum subsp. neglectum and Senecio jacobaea. Three garden shrubs, Rosa spinosissima, Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus and Salix viminalis grew together with more common garden ruderals, such as Digitalis purpurea, Malva moschata and Saponaria officinalis. A total of 137 vascular plant taxa, most of them common in the Åland Islands, were observed growing on the waste ground