Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Globefruit Primrose-willow (Ludwigia sphaerocarpa) - Uncertain Risk

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.

Globefruit Primrose-willow, Ludwigia sphaerocarpa, is an obligate wetland plant native to Atlantic coastal plain, Gulf coastal plain, and Great Lakes region of the United States. The species has been extirpated from Pennsylvania and is designated as a threatened or endangered species in six other northern States plus Tennessee. According to an aquarium forum post, the species first appeared in the aquarium trade in 2008. It is now present in trade in several countries around the world, although no quantitative data are available on trade volume. L. sphaerocarpa has not been reported as introduced anywhere outside its native range, so the history of invasiveness is classified as No Known Nonnative Population. Climate match to the contiguous United States was High, especially in the eastern United States where the species is native. The certainty of this assessment is Low due to the absence of data on trade volume or impacts of introductions. The Overall Risk Assessment Category for L. sphaerocarpa for the contiguous United States is Uncertain.