Abstract:
Giant salvinia, a highly invasive water weed, was discovered in North Carolina in 1998. The plant can double its biomass in about two days and crowd out native plants, reduce oxygen, and degrade water quality. Despite state efforts to control it, salvinia was found in Brunswick, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender Counties in 2000. The state goal is to eliminate the weed by October 2002.