USDA Noxious weed list

[JRagg]

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/weeds/7cfr360-06.pdf

It's a pdf, but I'm sure most of you have the ability to read those.

There is one aquatic plant there that I think a good few aquariasts have. I was pretty amazed to see it there. Hygrophilia polysperma is on that list. I'm not saying for anyone to openly admit that they have it, but that kind of amazed me that a plant that is that prevalent in the aquarium world is technically outlawed in the United States.

 

[Toirtis]

There are three species on that list that I see regularly in the North American aquarium/pond trade....I am surpised that I don't see several other species that I expected to see.

 

[mr funktastic]

lol i have that plant. i know atleast 10 members who have it and love it. it is really easyy to grow and spread around and great for aquascaping... if u dont mine trimming weekly lol.

 

[JRagg]

I'm not sure how the laws are in Canada, but for those in the US I wouldn't state that you own this plant whether you do or not.

I guess its growth rate, which most have seen, is the reason for it being on this list.

I would have expected to see some other really fast growers on there as well.

 

[Toirtis]

I'm not sure how the laws are in Canada, but for those in the US I wouldn't state that you own this plant whether you do or not.

Very different up here...we Canucks are quite mellow.

 

[Zezmo]

AFAIK the H. polysperma that is on the list is "Green Hygro", not the Sunset Hygro that many folks keep.

 

[JRagg]

Green Hygro, Sunset Hygro, and Hygrophilia Ceylon all have the same genus and species name (Hygrophilia polysperma). They are just variants of the green hygro. To be honest, I doubt USDA distinguishes between them. Do they all have the same growth pattern?

 

[newfound77951]

Do they all have the same growth pattern?

yes. they all grow like crazy!

I think the reason that some plants that you might expect to be on the list aren't is that they are already US native plants, or that they are tropical to the point where they will not survive cold weather or freezing temps.

 

[Plantbrain]

I've seen lots of rivers infested with Hygro in FL.

It's a very bad weed.

Main thing is that the vendors and wholesalers cannot sell it.
There are plenty of other more suitable plants to chose from.
Just don't add it to your pond or release any weeds outside without freezing, or mushing it in a baggie or drying it entirly out so that the material is dead.

I kill Hydrilla and we deal with large amounts of noxious weed materials.
Good to think about issues like these.

It cost a lot to kill weeds in aquatuic ecosystems, you all love these same systems so do not Bio pollute them.

Oil spills will go away after 10 years and microbes break the oil down. Weeds just get worse and replicate taking over with time.

Many native critters that live on native vegetation can no longer live there and fish stocks will dwindle. So it reduces already samller habitats for native animals.

Some aquarist have planted Egeria and other weeds in outside ponds or rivers etc so they can have a longer term supply of the plants and then do not need to go and buy them, rather they feed it to their goldfish and the plants slowly rot since they don't know how to grow them in their ponds/fish tanks.

Boaters are particularly bad at the spread of weeds from lake to lake. Often they do not clean their boat and propellers that have weeds choked/tied/clogged around them.
when they go to the next lake, the propeller fires up and sends all the new pieces all over the lake.

It's much tougher to treat than terrestrial weeds and requires a lot of permitting to do any control.


Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Toirtis]

It's much tougher to treat than terrestrial weeds and requires a lot of permitting to do any control.


Regards,
Tom Barr

You should see what Eurasian water milfoil can do to a lake (its like kudzu for lakes)...it is our main aquatic-plant enemy in Canada.

 

[JRagg]

So I know you said that it's mainly an issue for vendors and wholesalers, but is it illegal for aquariasts to keep (pretty sure the answer is yes)? None of my clippings ever see water again. I generally clip them and throw them into a trashcan where they dry out.

 

[rkilling1]

So I know you said that it's mainly an issue for vendors and wholesalers, but is it illegal for aquariasts to keep (pretty sure the answer is yes)? None of my clippings ever see water again. I generally clip them and throw them into a trashcan where they dry out.

It just says you can't transport them without a permit.

 

[7Enigma]

czcz gave me mine! Don't come after me!


8O They are all watching us.......... 8O

 

[JustOneMore20]

I didn't think it was illegal to have them (H. polysperma in particular)...just illegal to sell them (or move them).

Ambulia (L. sessiflora) is on the list as well.

 

[fish_4_all]

I would bet anacharis/elodea would be there if it wasn't the fact that every local lake has tons of it.

 

[LindaC]

I was contacted by an inspector for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Department because I purchased or tried to purchase Ambulia from AquariumPlants.Com. Fortuneately they never shipped me the Ambullia, they sent me a replacement plant, I think it was Cambomba.

Anyway, he called me at work and wanted me to give a statement saying that I do not have this plant now, nor did I ever receive this plant from said company. They really take this seriously, I'm not sure if Ambulia in on the Federal Noxious Weed list in Massachusetts but it is in South Dakota.

 

[JohnPaul]

Wow. How long ago was that, LindaC? I think I purchased a bunch of stuff from that same site a few years back (including ambulia) and no one ever contacted me.

Eventually, the ambulia just died in my tank. Pretty sad when you can't even keep a noxious weed alive...

8O

 

[Plantbrain]

So I know you said that it's mainly an issue for vendors and wholesalers, but is it illegal for aquariasts to keep (pretty sure the answer is yes)? None of my clippings ever see water again. I generally clip them and throw them into a trashcan where they dry out.

They are not coming after private folks
The worse they might do is take the plants for the vendors, then if they keep doing it, trhey will fine and block them for shipping plants into the USA, or the state.

Relax, the plant police are not coming after you
It's the environment they are trying save.


Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[LindaC]

Tom is correct, they were investigating AP.Com and they contacted me about a 3-4 weeks ago. I told them that this company did nothing wrong, they never ended up shipping me the Ambulia, they shipped me a replacement of Cambomba. They just want to make sure that they're not shipping noxious weeds across state lines.