Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Tape Grass (Vallisneria spiralis) - High Risk

Species that are considered high risk have a well-documented history of invasiveness in at least one location globally and are of establishment concern for the contiguous United States based on a climate matching analysis.

Vallisneria spiralis, tape grass, is an aquatic plant that is native to Southern Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and southwest Asia. It is found in canals, ditches, rivers, and occasionally lakes and other slow moving bodies of water. V. spiralis is a common species in the aquarium trade, likely leading to introductions on multiple continents. The History of Invasiveness for Vallisneria spiralis is classified as High. It has been introduced outside its native range and become established. Impacts from established populations include monocultures that displace native submerged aquatic plant species. The climate matching analysis for the contiguous United States indicates establishment concern for this species. The majority of the United States had a medium to high climate match. Small areas of low match were found scattered in the northwest. The Certainty of Assessment for this ERSS is classified as Medium due to a history of misidentification and general taxonomic ambiguity. The Overall Risk Assessment Category for Vallisneria spiralis in the contiguous United States is High.ate match it results in an overall risk assessment category of uncertain.