The Belorusskaya Nauka Publishing House published “Black Book of Belarusian Flora: Allogenic and Harmful Plants” prepared by a team of authors from the Institute of Experimental Botany of the NAS of Belarus with the participation of specialists of the Central Botanical Garden of the NAS of Belarus and Belarusian State University

The book published under general editorship of Academician V. Parfenov and Candidate of Biological Sciences A. Pugachevsky summarizes the information on biological and ecological properties of 52 species of the most harmful vascular plants widely spread in ecosystems of Belarus. The well-known plants include Sosnowsky's hogweed, Canadian goldenrod, Echinocystis lobata (“wild cucumber” in everyday speech), as well as very dangerous ragweed, and other species seeming to be harmless and even useful (Aronia mitschurinii, Amelanchier spicata, Symphyotrichum novi-belgii and Aster salignus, etc.). The book covers the ways and history of penetration of these species to the territory of the country, recommendations for prevention of their further spreading, destruction and other activities aimed at limitation of their expansion. The book also contains 68 original schematic maps characterizing the spread of invasion plants on the territory of Belarus.

The new publication also contains an extensive list of alien species with non-realized harmfulness potential (246 species) or so common that the measures for limitation of their spreading are meaningless (24 species, including white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, Chelidonium majus, etc.).

The book is intended for employees of the system of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, specialists of forestry and green construction sector, academic researchers and university teachers, as well as non-specialist audience interested in ecology. The size of edition is 700 copies.