Making a List, Checking It Many, Many Times: How Species are Added to the Florida Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant List

Exotic species have long played an important role in the agricultural and ornamental plants of the United States. Florida has welcomed many of these species as warmly as tourists to its amusement parks. Unfortunately, some of these visitors are not well-behaved. Among our most notorious ornamental introductions are Melaleuca quinquenervia (melaleuca or punktree) and Schinus terebinthifolia (Brazilian pepper or Christmasberry-tree). These and other species currently listed as noxious weeds demonstrate the problems that can come from too much of a beautiful thing.

As part of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Division of Plant Industry (DPI) has responsibility for protecting native and commercially grown plant species, in part by regulating noxious weeds and invasive species. DPI enforces regulations that limit the movement of noxious weeds and carries out decisions made by the state Noxious Weed Review Committee to add or remove species from the list of regulated plants or to exempt sterile cultivars of listed species. Without a requirement for screening exotic species before they are imported and released, Florida’s regulatory mechanisms depend on listing species after they prove to be pests. The procedures followed by the Noxious Weed Review Committee are intended to provide a science-based process for deciding whether a plant should be included on the Florida Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant List. The committee relies on risk assessments from USDA, the University of Florida, and other sources in making its determinations. Examples of plants added to this list and the process for adding new species demonstrate the need for information exchange and cooperation among researchers, regulators and the horticulture industry.