Friday, August 7, 2015

Aquarium & Pond Plants of the World, Edition 2.1

If you have ever needed a reliable source for identifying an invasive aquatic species, you might have waded through the USDA APHIS ITP’s “Aquarium& Pond Plants of the World” (APPW). Edition 2.1 was released yesterday. The USDA APHIS ITP announcement states APPW still has “fact sheets, images, an illustrated glossary, and an interactive key to support the identification process for over 140 genera of plant and plant-like organisms grown and used in the aquarium and pond plant trade”. The resource has been updated with a new design and increased user capabilities. The tool is now responsive for use across multiple platforms including smartphones and tablets.

                 Screen capture from APPW’s new home page.

APPW can be used to identify invasive species as it includes genera listed on the Federal Noxious Weed List. According to APPW, “As part of its effort to prevent the introduction of invasive or potentially invasive weeds, the USDA maintains an official list of ‘federal noxious weeds’ (FNW) (7 CFR 360.200 and 361.6).”