Lysichiton americanus eradicated from the Netherlands
Lysichiton americanus (Apiaceae, EPPO A2 List) originates from North America and is used as an ornamental plant. The plant escapes from gardens and colonizes wet forests and bogs. It reproduces by seeds which are dispersed by water and animals and may survive for 5 years in the soil. In 2004, the plant was reported by a botanist as forming a dense willow thicket in well-developed vegetation in the Netherlands. After a survey, this was the only location found and was considered a remnant of a nursery for water plants situated on the same site, but abandoned in the 1950s. In this particular case, the owner of the site decided to cooperate with the Dutch Plant Protection Service to take action. Eradication was undertaken with volunteers in December 2004 by digging up the plant, when the level of water was low enough to allow access. Removed plants were destroyed by deep burial in dry ground. The operation was continued on June 2005 and no regrowth was observed. Since the plant forms a seed-bank, the site will be inspected every year and eradication will be considered successful only if no regrowth is observed for five years. Manual removal by volunteers proved to be efficient for a small outbreak of a slow-growing plant, but was difficult to organize in practice.
Sources
Rotteveel AJW (2007) Initial eradication of Lysichiton americanus from the Netherlands. Abstract of the EWRS-Symposium in Hamar, Norway 2007-06-17/21, p. 36.