APHIS Posts New Weed Risk Assessments

APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) has posted Weed Risk Assessments (WRA) for the following 12 weed species:

• Adonis aestivalis (Summer pheasant’s-eye)
• Ageratum conyzoides (Billygoat plant)
• Alectra vogellii (Yellow witchweed)
• Amaranthus palmeri (Palmer’s amaranth)
• Asphodelus fistulosus (Onion weed)
• Dolichandra unguis-cati (Cat’s-claw)
• Imperata cylindrica (Cogongrass)
• Onopordum acaulon (Stemless thistle)
• Phelipanche aegyptiaca (Egyptian broomrape)
• Phelipanche ramosa (Branched broomrape)
• Thesium ramosum (Thesium)
• Tripleurospermum inodorum (Scentless mayweed)

The purpose of a WRA is to evaluate the likelihood that a weed species will escape, naturalize, and spread in the United States, and harm U.S. natural and agricultural resources. PPQ prepares a WRA when:

• A species shows some threat potential in the United States or abroad,
• Someone requests to import a species that is either new to the United States, or if present, not widely distributed and poses a potential threat; or
• A stakeholder submits a request to APHIS to add a species to the Federal Noxious Weed List.

Stakeholders can use WRAs to support their own management or policy decisions as needed. To view or print these or other assessments, visit APHIS’ Noxious Weeds Program Risk Assessments Web page. We welcome your questions or comments about the WRAs via email at weeds@usda.gov.