EPPO-Q-bank

A database to support plant pest diagnostic activities

Curator Invasive Plants database

Dr. Johan van Valkenburg
Phytosanitary expertise
Netherlands Institute for Vectors, Invasive plants and Plant health (NIVIP)
the Netherlands

Curator Invasive Plants database

Dr. Leni Duistermaat
Taxonomic expertise and collections
Naturalis Biodiversity Center
the Netherlands

Curator Invasive Plants database

Filip Verloove
Taxonomic expertise and collections
National Botanic Garden of Belgium
Belgium

EPPO-Q-bank Invasive Plants database

The EPPO-Q-bank Invasive Plants database includes curated sequence data on vascular plants (excluding algae and mosses), with special focus to aquatic (non-marine) plants. 

It also provides information on where to find specimens of plants for which DNA sequences are available in herbarium collections. 

It should be noted that work on DNA barcoding for plant species is still ongoing. Priority has been given to species important in trade that are morphologically difficult to distinguish.  Because most of the data has been generated by National Reference Centre (NVWA, NL) those not imported from outside the EU were given a low priority; data are still gathered and will be made available for more species of the "Union List" (EU regulation 1143/2014).


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This database was originally started as part of a Dutch project to strengthen the plant health infrastructure (Q-bank). It was launched in 2010 and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs has financed the project between 2011 and 2018.  Not all data included in the Q-bank Invasive Plant Database has been transferred to the EPPO-Q-bank database which focuses on DNA sequences and reference material. 

The Q-bank Invasive Plants database will be maintained by the National Plant Protection Organization, National Reference Centre, Netherlands and can be consulted at q-bankplants.eu. It includes:

Complete descriptions of plants including taxonomy, morphology, distribution, and ecology and management.

Selected and verified specimen of the major invasive plant species including look-alikes.

Identification keys for 6 groups of invasive plants:

Management support information (Control section) for Cabomba caroliniana, Hydrocotyle ranunculoides, Myriophyllum aquaticum and Ludwigia grandiflora, 4 of the most problematic aquatic non-native species in north-western Europe. 

Look-alike pages (similar species) for a number of species Q-bank Invasive Plants Database available similar species

Factsheets in English, French and Dutch