New invasive alien plant species recommended for regulation in the EPPO region
Ten invasive alien plant species have been added to the EPPO A1 and A2 Lists in 2018 and therefore recommended for regulation within the EPPO region. All species were risk assessed within the framework of the LIFE funded project: Mitigating the threat of invasive alien plants in the EU through pest risk analysis to support the EU Regulation 1143/2014. The ten species (table 1) include three grass species (Andropogon virginicus, Cortaderia jubata and Ehrharta calycina), two vines (Humulus scandens and Lygodium japonicum), two tree species (Prosopis juliflora and Triadica sebifera), one shrub (Hakea sericea) and two perennial herbs (Ambrosia confertiflora and Lespedeza cuneata). The majority of plants listed below were assessed to enter the EPPO region on the pathway ‘plants for planting’. For A. confertiflora, seed contaminant of livestock (wool) and feed mixtures was highlighted as the most likely pathway and for A. virginicus contamination of used machinery (military vehicles) was identified as a historic pathway for the entry of the species into the EPPO region. Pathways for L. japonicum include plants for planting but also contamination of nursery material (the species has been intercepted as a contaminant of bonsai plants from Asia to the Netherlands).
Table 1. Invasive alien plant species recommended for regulation, 2018.
Species | Family | Type | Origin | EPPO List |
Ambrosia confertiflora | Asteraceae | Perennial herb | North America | A2 |
Andropogon virginicus | Poaceae | Grass | North America | A2 |
Cortaderia jubata | Poaceae | Grass | South America | A1 |
Ehrharta calycina | Poaceae | Grass | Africa | A2 |
Hakea sericea | Proteaceae | Shrub | Australia | A2 |
Humulus scandens | Cannabaceae | Vine | Asia | A2 |
Lespedeza cuneata | Fabaceae | Perennial legume | Asia | A1 |
Lygodium japonicum | Lygodiaceae | Vine | Asia | A1 |
Prosopis juliflora | Fabaceae | Tree | Americas | A2 |
Triadica sebifera | Euphorbiaceae | Tree | Asia | A1 |
Sources
EPPO website: https://www.eppo.int/ACTIVITIES/invasive_alien_plants/iap_lists