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.
Echinodorus grandiflorus, Burhead, is an emergent aquatic plant native to southeastern Brazil, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. It is popular in the aquarium trade and was imported into the United States as early as 1912, although the plant appears to be scarce in current United States based retailers’ catalogs. It is also used in traditional medicines. E. grandiflorus has established two populations in Florida, likely through escape from cultivation, and no negative impacts of introduction have been documented to date. However, in Sri Lanka, established E. grandiflorus is reported to contribute, along with other nonnative aquatic plants, to blocking waterways and outcompeting native species. The history of invasiveness is classified as Data Deficient because of the lack of species-specific information on impacts in Sri Lanka. The climate match to the contiguous United States is High overall, with the highest matches occurring in peninsular Florida and along the northern Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts. The certainty of assessment is Low due to the ambiguous information on impacts of introduction and taxonomy uncertainty. The Overall Risk Assessment Category for E. grandiflorus is Uncertain.
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Uncertain Risk
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