Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Coastal Waterhyssop (Bacopa monnieri) - Uncertain Risk

Bacopa monnieri, Coastal Waterhyssop, is a flowering semi-aquatic plant native to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. This plant is widely used as an ornamental and as a medicinal herb. It has been introduced widely outside of its native range. B. monnieri is found outside of its native range in parts of Europe and Asia, and it is listed as an invasive plant in Japan, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, and the Cayman Islands. This species has been reported to negatively impact wetlands and riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

Learn more about riparian habitats by reducing water quality and altering flow and sedimentation, but documentation of these reported effects in its introduced range could not be found. It is native to the southern and eastern United States, and it has been reported from California, where it is said to be a nuisance species in landscaped waterways such as golf course ponds. Further information on negative impacts of this species was not available. The climate matching analysis for the contiguous United States indicates establishment concern for this species outside its native range. B. monnieri has a high climate match throughout the southern United States and a medium climate match in most other locations. Because of a lack of peer-reviewed primary literature documenting impacts of this species’ introduction, the History of Invasiveness is Data Deficient, and the Certainty of Assessment is Low. The Overall Risk Assessment Category for Bacopa monnieri is Uncertain.