General Impact
The Environment Bay of Plenty (2003) reports that "H. cordata's rampant growth can rapidly displace native plants in forest and wetland ecosystems." "This plant is only found in gardens so far, but is believed to present a huge risk to the native habitats. Any sightings of this plant should be reported to local authorities" (National Pest Plant Accord, 2001). Hynes (2003, personal communication) reports that, "Not only is H. cordata able to seed parthenogenetically (in the absence of male plants), but also every segment of it roots readily and grows effortlessly." Furthermore the author has noticed it being sold as a water plant in nurseries and states that, "Obviously it can live in water as well as in soil." Hynes (2003) correlates H. cordata's spread with its immense appeal "Because of the huge range of colours each leaf has but should someone in the nursery trade decide to push it - we will have a major pest that will be almost ineradicable."
No Impact information recorded for Houttuynia cordata
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