Species that are considered uncertain risk need a more in-depth assessment beyond the Risk Summary to better define the species’ risk to U.S. environments.
Brazilian water hyacinth (Eichhornia paniculata) is a freshwater plant which has a disjunctive range in the New World Tropics including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Cuba, and Jamaica. Historically, there has been debate about the native or introduced status of the populations in Jamaica and Cuba. This plant is used in the water garden trade outside the United States. It has been investigated for used in remediation of wastewater. E. paniculata was introduced to Florida in 1907, but the population was subsequently eradicated. It was introduced to and has become established in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Guyana. E paniculata is considered a weed of rice fields in the Caribbean, and may support a pest insect in Cuba, but these are pest impacts within the native range of the species. The history of invasiveness is classified as Data Deficient. The overall climate match for the contiguous United States was medium. Areas of medium match were found in the southeast from Texas to Virginia, with the areas of high match in southern Texas and Florida. The certainty of assessment is low due to uncertain and conflicting information regarding this species’ native range, taxonomic standing, and history of invasiveness. The overall risk assessment category is Uncertain.
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Uncertain Risk
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