Re: native North American aroids

From: SelbyHort at aol.com on 1999.12.14 at 14:58:19(3946) Les, Pistia stratiodes is a prohibited aquatic invasive under regulation by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Water Hyacinth (Echhornia spp.) is also prohibited by the DEP. It is illegal (punishable as a 2nd degree misdemeanor) to cultivate, *collect* (watch out Les), possess, transport, sell or import these species, or any others prohibited by DEP, within the state of Florida unless you have a special permit issued by the DEP. Unlike water hyacinth, which is a Class I prohibited plant, Pista is Class II prohibited, and can be legally propagated by nurseries within the state of Florida and transported out of state for sale if the nursery is regulated by the FL Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. Non-commercial (homeowner) cultivation is prohibited...you can't get a permit to grow this in your fish pond at home in Florida, folks. Therefore, nurseries in other regions can obtain Florida grown Pistia legally if the nursery in FL is permitted to handle this plant. I don't know if these species are regulated at the national level as noxious weeds (someone could check the USDA web site and report back to aroid-l). Individual states in zones where these plants are causing trouble may have their own laws that might be more stringent than the Federal laws. Maybe I have this all wrong, but I think I am looking at the most recent DEP rules. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. Of course, its entirely possible that the USDA rules contradict the FL DEP. This whole issue gets really complex once you realize that one must sort through many different lists that carry the weight of law compiled by the various government authorities at the the international, national, state and local level. Each branch of government has its own set of criteria for determining the status of potential invasives, and some of these lists contradict each other once you start getting into it. Lists are also revised periodically, meaning you have to stay on top of all this mess. Makes things difficult to comprehend, much less comply with. The whole issue of invasives is a difficult one. I'm sure someone could spend a lifetime trying to unravel all the government issued regulations and make some sense of it all. Invasive plants will continue to reproduce and spread faster than our ability to regulate them. Donna Atwood Selby Gardens +More In a message dated 99-12-13 09:43:51 EST, you write: << Are you sure that the law applies in areas where it can't possibly survive over the winter? It's not just one place that sells it - it's almost all places that sell pond plants -- at least it was widely available 2 summers ago. This past summer I never looked so can't guarantee it was around. Large plants sold for even more than the previously quoted $3-$5! Are water hyacinths on that list too? Those too are available for sale here yet I know they clog southern waterways. Les

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