New record of Alternanthera philoxeroides in the Vaucluse department (France)
Alternanthera philoxeroides (Gomphrenoideae, EPPO List of Invasive Alien Plants) is an aquatic plant originating from South America which is invasive in Australia, the USA, New Zealand and numerous countries of Asia (e.g. India, Thailand). In the EPPO region it has a limited distribution and is only recorded in Italy and France.
In France, prior to this record, A. philoxeroides was only recorded in the Garonne river catchments (in 1961 in Gironde, in 1983 in Lot-et-Garonne, in 2002 in Tarn-et-Garonne) and in the 2000s in the Tarn river. In 2013, the species was found in Sorgues in the Vaucluse department in the river Ouvèze, a tributary of the Rhône. Although no clear invasive behavior is recorded so far, the species should be monitored considering its history of invasion elsewhere in the world.
Sources
Guillaume Fried, ANSES, E-mail: guillaume.fried@anses.fr