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ltcollins1949

WANTED: You might want to know what is illegal before you trade

ltcollins1949
14 years ago

I'm not a regular on this forum, but a friend suggested that I check it out. I am a citizen scientist for the Texas Invasives. You might be interested in reading my post as follows. I know that many of you are aware of which plants are illegal, and I hope not to offend anyone, but rather to help.

I don't mean to be a downer and burst anyone's love of aquatic plants, but you may not be aware that many aquatic plants are illegal in many states with laws varying from state to state, i.e. what is illegal in one state does not mean it is illegal in another state. I do know that there are many Illegal and Invasive Plants in Texas including Water Lettuce Pistis stratiotes and Water Hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes. In fact possession of these plants is illegal and can be punishable with fines and/or imprisonment. Read below:

The State of Texas doesn't just frown on the possession of harmful or potentially harmful exotic plants. It is illegal to posses these plants in Texas. Possession of any prohibited plant species is a Class B Parks and Wildlife Code Misdemeanor punishable by

-a fine of not less than $200 nor more than $2000,

-a jail term not to exceed 180 days, or

-both a fine AND imprisonment.

Each individual plant of a prohibited species constitutes a separate violation. The law applies to everyone: aquatic plant producers and distributors, garden centers, pond supply stores, pet stores, and individual pondkeepers. So if Joe Ponder is caught with 10 water hyacinth in his backyard pond, that would be 10 separate violations, with potential fines totaling $20,000.

After checking the Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States compiled by the University of Georgia, there are many illegal plants. The reason they are illegal is because they are so prolific that they are getting into streams, rivers and waterways and chocking out our native plants which is directly related to our natural habitat.

So you might want to check with you local Wildlife Office and make sure that you are in compliance with the laws of your state and when shipping plants across state lines.

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