Exotic Plant Species

Published: 11th May, 2024

Context

According to a study, removing alien plants from forested areas will assist ensure that wild elephants at Munnar's Chinnakkanal have food.

What are Invasive species?

An organism that is not native or indigenous to a certain location is referred to as an invasive species.
Pathways: Oceangoing ships' ballast water, purposeful and inadvertent discharges of aquaculture species, aquarium specimens or bait, and other methods can all introduce an invasive species into a new location.
The majority of food crops cultivated in the US, such as popular types of rice, tomatoes, and wheat, are not indigenous to the area.
- A species needs to be able to readily adapt to its new environment in order to qualify as invasive.
- It needs to proliferate rapidly.
- It has to damage property.

Name	State / Region	Native to
African apple snail	Andaman and Nicobar
Papaya Mealy Bug	Assam	Mexico and Central America,
Cotton Mealy Bug	Deccan	North America
Amazon sailfin catfish	West Bengal
Black Wattle	Western Ghats	South East Australia
Water Hyacinth	It is found throughout India	Tropical America
Black Mimosa	Himalaya, Western Ghats	Tropical North America
Parthenium/ Congress grass, Parthenium	It is found throughout India	Tropical North America
Cannibal Snail / Rosy wolf snail	–	Native to the southeastern United States.
Indian Bullfrog	Andaman and Nicobar	Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan
Lantana camara	In the Bandipur National Park, Karnataka	South America