Texas Updates ‘White List’ of Aquatic Plants as Approval Vote Nears

Editor's Note: The "white list" vote has been delayed indefinitely, as of press time on Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m., EDT.

An e-mail sent on Jan. 25 from Ken Kurzawski, with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, states:

"To persons involved with aquatic plants,

Please be advised that the Exotic Species Rules and Fees agenda items have been removed from consideration by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission at their January 26 and 27 meeting. The Commission will not consider action on these itmes at this time. At this time, no timetable has been established for reconsideration of these rules."

Many popular varieties of aquarium plants could be prohibited in Texas, including popular items like Cryptocoryne wendtii, several Echinodorus species, Hygrophila and Rotala rotundifolia.

Plants recently added to the approved list include the spider lily and aquarium plants Echinodorus grandiflorous, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Cryptocoryne usteriana and Vesicularia dubyana.

Moreover, Dr. Earl Chilton, Aquatic Habitat Enhancement Program Director for the department, said that several other aquarium species that appeared to not be on the approved list were actually on the list under synonyms or did not need to be on the list because they were native to Texas or primarily terrestrial.

The department has added a"removed from consideration" list to its pending regulations. This list designates those species of the 496 that the department determined were in trade in the state and subject to evaluation that did not need to be approved for a variety of reasons, primarily because they were either native to Texas, primarily terrestrial or were invalid names or synonyms of already approved plants.

In addition, Chilton said all plants currently on the department’s proposed ineligible list were being reevaluated.

The regulations, part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s efforts to prevent the introduction of potentially invasive, non-native aquatic plants into the state’s ecosystem, create a “white list” of plants approved for sale in the state, effectively barring trade in those plants not listed. Moreover, some plants not on the approved list will also be placed on an “ineligible species list,” meaning that the department has determined those species pose a risk. Under the proposal, interested parties could petition the department to add plants to the approved list, unless they are already on the ineligible list.

With the department’s recent changes and clarifications, 27 aquarium species, including Cryptocoryne wendtii, Cyperus helferi, most Hygrophila species, Rotala rotundifolia and Pogostemon helferi, and several water garden plants, could be effectively banned if the commission approves the regulations in their current format. 

As of last week, 43 aquarium plant species risked being banned, according to Brandon McLane of Florida Aquatic Nurseries. 

Water garden plants that will tentatively be banned include elephant ears, Egyptian papyrus, water poppy, yellow snowflake, dwarf cattail and graceful cattail, all of which are currently on the ineligible list, as is Mexican petunia, which is not even an aquatic plant, according to Rolf Nelson, owner of Nelson Water Gardens & Nursery in Katy, Texas.

Nelson is urging interested parties to attend the hearings if possible and to contact state legislators to voice concerns before the commission votes on the proposal.