First report of Hydrocotyle ranunculoides in the Aquitaine region, France
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides (Apiaceae, EPPO A2 List) was previously reported in France in the Ain and in the Essonne departments. It has been found for the first time in the region Aquitaine on the Cousturet river in the municipality of Saubion, in the Landes Department. After its discovery in 2012, a manual removal of the plant was planned. Twelve interventions were organized, representing 36 working days, to remove in total 20.5 m3 of the plant. When undertaking manual removal, 3 agents out of 4 reported hand and forearm itching. The removal of H. ranunculoides needs to be undertaken with gloves to prevent direct contact with the plant.
The species has also been found in the Saubion municipality in the locality ‘Lagrollet’, as well as in the municipality of Tosse. Filters have also been placed to contain the species and to prevent its spread to the water catchment. The species has been observed on the Baudigau river, at the junction with the Marais d’Orx (protected wetland area of the Landes department). H. ranunculoides has also been recorded in the neighbouring deparment of Gironde.
The Conservatoire Botanique National Sud-Atlantique has released an alert datasheet describing the species, in order to collect further distribution data from botanists.
Sources
Alain Dutartre, Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l’environnement et l’agriculture (Irstea), pers. comm., 2013
Dupain M (2013) L'Hydrocotyle fausse-renoncule (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L. f.) en Gironde. Bulletin de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux, 148, nouvelle série n° 41(1), 53-57
François Arrué, Syndicat Mixte de Rivière Bourret-Boudigau, pers. comm., 2013
Conservatoire Botanique National Sud-Atlantique (2012) Document d’alerte. Plante exotique envahissante émergente. Hydrocotyle ranunculoides. 1 p.