Alligator Weed
Alternanthera philoxeroides
An Invasive Biocontrol Plant
This plant has been documented in the Mississippi area. It is a fairly common emergent plant species in the South and can be found easily in drainage ditches and lake edges.
Info
Alligator weed is a good example of an invasive weed that has been successfully managed through biological control programs. Take these numbers for instance: there were 97,000 problem acres of alligator weed in the US in 1963; by 1981 there were less than 1,000 problem acres. Why did this happen? It was mostly the work of the following three biocontrol insects:
1. Alligator weed flea beetle (Agasicles hygrophila)
2. Alligator weed thrips (Amynothrips andersoni)
3. Alligator weed stem borer (Vogtia malloi) shown in the video
Related Topics
Common Name:
Alligator Weed
Classification
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Species:
philoxeroides
