North American prairie plants proposed for use in the EPPO region
In North America, nurseries propose to park-keepers and gardeners a series of prairie plants which can be grown as mixtures, reconstituting the prairie plant communities which have to a large extent disappeared. Parks and gardens can thus contain ‘wild’ or ‘native plant’ sections which conserve and popularize these species. These plants are now also offered for sale in Europe, and the EPPO Panel on Invasive Alien Species is concerned about them for two main reasons:
1) some are close relatives of known invasive plants (Aster, Solidago)
2) most are proposed as easy-to-maintain garden plants, persistent and competitive (in other words potentially invasive)
A pest risk assessment was conducted on one pilot case: Solidago nemoralis, the grey golden rod. The conclusion was that this is a potentially invasive plant in Europe and it is undesirable that it should be widely planted and used. This species has been placed on the EPPO Alert List, and further measures will be considered.
Sources
EPPO Panel on Invasive Alien Species, 2004-03.