In an effort to not curtail the sale of commercially valuable plant species, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Aquatic Plant Management, is revising its Florida Administrative Code, Rule 62C52 on Aquatic Plant Importation, Transportation, Non-Nursery Cultivation, Possession and Collection, to allow the sale of prohibited aquatic plant material proven to be non-viable. Commercial uses for prohibited plants include selling the bright red berries of Brazilian pepper, Schinus terebinthifolius, as ornamentals at Christmas. The berries are sterilised using heat and methyl bromide fumigation treatments. The new rule will allow permits for the collection, transportation and sale of the berries providing collection and transportation methods are secure against accidental dispersal and the plant material is proven to be sterile.
The rule change was considered partly in response to complaints from commercial growers and members of Florida's Asian community who have shown a strong desire to grow water spinach, Ipomoea aquatica. Water spinach is widely grown and eaten as a vegetable in Vietnam and other areas in Asia. It repeatedly has been found growing illegally in Florida waterbodies and commercial nurseries, and being sold in Asian food markets. Growers in Hillsborough County signed a legal consent order agreeing to destroy their crops if inspectors could obtain a positive identification of the plant by a third party. Dr. Dan Austin, a botanist with the University of South Florida, grew plant samples to the flowering stage and verified that they were indeed Ipomoea aquatica. Under the new rule, permit applications would be evaluated based on the demonstrated non-viability of the plant material. Research is now underway at the University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, on methods of rendering Ipomoea aquatica non-viable, possibly using irradiation. If this is accomplished to the satisfaction of DEP, growers may begin cultivating water spinach under quarantine conditions.
Another product which so far has been allowed is the sale of Hydrilla verticillata in powdered, capsuled form. (In Florida, the powdered material is made from hydrilla which has been mechanically harvested and left on the banks of Lake Seminole, so the plant is not being cultivated.) The product is billed as "100% Hydrilla, a unique, wild harvested' freshwater herb, the most recently discovered antioxidant, phytonutrient, complex enzyme, whole food concentrate, a muscle builder, energy enhancer, nutrient provider, anti-arthritic, free radical scavenger, with applications for stress management, skin disorders and age associated diseases..." The product's purveyors also claim that hydrilla "helps control toxic reactions caused by drugs and chemical exposures from our diet and environment." Meanwhile, hydrilla is the number one aquatic weed problem in the state of Florida, with approximately 13 million dollars allocated for its control during the 1996-1997 fiscal year. Ninety capsules retail for about $36.00. Step right up, folks! K.B.
House: http://www.scri.fsu.edu/fla-leg/bill-info/1996/house_index.html
Senate: http://www.scri.fsu.edu/fla-leg/bill-info/1996/senate_index.html