PPQ conducts weed risk assessments (WRA) as part of its process for safeguarding U.S. agriculture and natural resources from weeds and invasive plants. A weed risk assessment is a science-based evaluation of the potential of a plant species to establish, spread, and cause harm in the United States. PPQ may initiate an assessment for any number of reasons, including: evaluation of commodity import requests, detection of a new weed in the United States, and petitions for listing from stakeholders.
Below is a list of all of the available WRAs that PPQ has conducted. They are provided for interested stakeholders and may be useful in setting local policies or informing resource managers. While most of the risk assessments were prepared by PPQ using the current weed risk assessment process [Guidelines Coming Soon], others were prepared using an older process (prior to 2010). We continue to provide these for interested stakeholders. Below, species are listed alphabetically by their scientific name. If a species has a common name, it is provided. New entries to this website are also indicated. Listings may be associated with one or two designations, noted below, that describe their current regulatory status.
Scientific Name | Common Name | FNW | NAPPRA | Recently Posted | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Acacia nilotica | Thorny acacia | 92 Kb | FNW | ||
Acalypha australis | Asian copperleaf | 279 Kb | |||
Achyranthes japonica | Japanese chaff flower | 321 Kb | Yes | ||
Ageratina riparia | Mistflower | 62 Kb | FNW | ||
Althaea armeniaca | Marshmallow | 346 Kb | |||
Anubias barteri | (none) | 181 Kb | |||
Araujia sericifera | Cruel plant | 308 Kb | |||
Arctotheca calendula | Capeweed | 94 Kb | FNW | ||
Ardisia crenata | Coralberry ardisia | 291 Kb | |||
Arundo donax | Giant reed | 439 Kb | |||
Austroderia richardii | New Zealand pampas | 337 Kb | Yes | ||
Bacopa australis | (none) | 204 Kb | |||
Cardiospermum grandiflorum | Balloon vine | 295 Kb | |||
Carex breviculmis | Short-stem sedge | 531 Kb | |||
Carex pendula | Pendulous sedge | 483 Kb | |||
Caulerpa taxifolia | Killer algae, Mediterranean strain | 726 Kb | FNW | ||
Cestrum laevigatum | Inkberry | 250 Kb | |||
Chrysanthemoides monilifera | Boneseed, Bitou bush | 461 Kb | |||
Chrysopogon aciculatus | Golden false beardgrass | 814 Kb | FNW | ||
Colophospermum mopane | Mopane | 1,110 Kb | |||
Cordia curassavica | Black sage | 428 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Cortaderia jubata | Jubata grass | 342 Kb | Yes | ||
Cortaderia selloana | Pampas grass | 310 Kb | Yes | ||
Crassula helmsii | Swamp stonecrop | 272 Kb | |||
Delairea odorata | Cape ivy | 271 Kb | |||
Dittrichia graveolens | Stinkwort | 309 Kb | |||
Dolichandra unguis-cati | Cat's-claw | 299 Kb | |||
Echinochloa pyramidalis | Antelope grass | 303 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Echinodorus uruguayensis | Uruguay sword plant | 227 Kb | |||
Euphorbia terracina | False caper | 62 Kb | FNW | ||
Falcaria vulgaris | Sickleweed | 403 Kb | |||
Geranium lucidum | Shining cranesbill | 325 Kb | |||
Gladiolus undulatus | Wavy gladiolus | 571 Kb | |||
Gymnocoronis spilanthoides | Senegal tea plant | 250 Kb | |||
Hakea gibbosa | Rock hakea | 315 Kb | |||
Hakea salicifolia | Finger hakea | 275 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Hakea sericea | Bushy needlewood | 267 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Homeria spp | Cape tulip | 36 Kb | FNW (only 5 species) | ||
Hedychium gardnerianum | Kahili ginger lily | 370 Kb | |||
Impatiens parviflora | Smallflower touch-me-not | 494 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Inula britannica | British elecampane | 180 Kb | |||
Ipomoea aquatica | Chinese water-spinach | 953 Kb | |||
Iris pseudacorus | Yellow flag iris | 277 Kb | |||
Leptochilus pteropus | Java fern | 230 Kb | |||
Ligustrum sinense | Chinese privet | 299 Kb | |||
Limnobium laevigatum | South American spongeplant | 681 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Luziola subintegra | Tropical American watergrass | 346 Kb | |||
Lygodium flexuosum | Maidenhair-creeper | 669 Kb | FNW | ||
Lygodium japonicum | Japanese climbing fern | 669 Kb | |||
Lygodium microphyllum | Old world climbing fern | 669 Kb | |||
Mikania micrantha | Mile-a-minute | 297 Kb | FNW | ||
Nassella neesiana | Chilean needlegrass | 425 Kb | |||
Neptunia oleracea | Water mimosa | 255 Kb | |||
Nymphoides cristata | Crested floating heart | 306 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Nymphoides indica | Water snowflake | 213 Kb | |||
Nymphoides peltata | Yellow floating heart | 225 Kb | |||
Onopordum acaulon | Stemless thistle | 53 Kb | FNW | ||
Onopordum illyricum | Illyrian thistle | 57 Kb | FNW | ||
Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. undulatifolius | Wavyleaf basketgrass | 380 Kb | |||
Persicaria chinensis | Chinese knotweed | 444 Kb | |||
Phyllanthus maderaspatensis | Canoe weed | 490 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Phyllostachys aurea | Golden bamboo | 495 Kb | |||
Phyllostachys aureosulcata | Yellow groove bamboo | 342 Kb | |||
Pilea hyalina | (none) | 247 Kb | |||
Pistacia chinensis | Chinese pistache | 532 Kb | |||
Rottboellia cochinchinensis | Itch grass | 86 Kb | FNW | ||
Rumex sagittatus | Climbing dock | 305 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Sagittaria sagittifolia | Arrowhead | 189 Kb | FNW | ||
Senecio angulatus | Cape ivy | 287 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Senecio inaequidens | South African ragwort | 278 Kb | FNW | ||
Senecio madagascariensis | Madagascar ragwort | 278 Kb | FNW | ||
Sideritis montana | Mountain ironwort | 455 Kb | |||
Solanum sisymbriifolium | Sticky nightshade | 345 Kb | |||
Solanum viarum | Tropical soda apple | 528 Kb | FNW | ||
Thymelaea passerina | Spurge flax | 966 Kb | |||
Toona sinensis | Chinese toon | 426 Kb | |||
Tridax procumbens | Coat buttons | 264 Kb | |||
Triplaris melaenodendron | Long John | 245 Kb | |||
Vitex rotundifolia | Beach vitex | 1,131 Kb | |||
Wikstroemia indica | Tiebush | 259 Kb | NAPPRA | ||
Xanthoceras sorbifolium | Yellowhorn | 213 Kb |
For information on weed risk assessments contact:
Anthony L. Koop, Ph.D.
Weed Risk Assessment Lead / Botanist, Ecologist
Telephone: (919) 855-7429
Email: Anthony.L.Koop@aphis.usda.gov
- Or -
Barney P. Caton, Ph.D.
Assistant Lab Director / Ecologist
Telephone: (919) 855-7504
Email: Barney.P.Caton@aphis.usda.gov
For information on FNW policies contact:
Jonathan Jones
National Policy Manager / Botanist
Telephone: (301) 851-2128
E-mail: Jonathan.M.Jones@aphis.usda.gov
For information on plants for planting listed under NAPPRA contact:
Al Tasker, Ph.D.
Regulatory Specialist / Weed Scientist
Telephone: (301) 851-2224
E-mail: Alan.V.Tasker@aphis.usda.gov