New research indicates that India's fast-growing online trade in ornamental plants may be creating an overlooked route for species that can later harm local ecosystems.
The study found that many plants already recognized as invasive in India can still be ordered online and shipped directly to homes around the country.
Here's what to know
Researchers examined listings from three of India's biggest online plant retailers and, as Mongabay reported, the study in Environmental Conservation found 57 species for sale that are already classified as invasive in India.
Those species included Lantana camara, which has spread across 40% of India's tiger habitats, along with Parthenium hysterophorus.
Lead author Kesang Bhutia, a graduate student at Bengaluru's Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, compiled a list of 1,856 ornamental species sold online. The study counted 1,371 alien species and 480 native ones.
The researchers also identified 327 species that are invasive in other parts of the world and 639 that have established themselves outside their native ranges.
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Invasive alien species rank among the main drivers of biodiversity decline. They can push out native plants, reshape habitats, and increase costs for communities that rely on healthy landscapes and water systems.
Bhutia put it this way: "They outcompete our native species and the cost is enormous."
More background
Researchers said that online commerce may be a route for biological invasions in India that has not been closely examined.
Because sellers can mail seeds, bulbs, and live plants nationwide, online trade can raise what scientists call "propagule pressure," the frequency and number of times a species is introduced into new places.
Aravind N.A., a Senior Fellow at ATREE and the paper's supervising author, said the ease of those transactions is especially concerning.
"What was particularly alarming is that species already known to cause ecological harm in India are still easily purchasable and deliverable to homes; there's practically no barrier between 'known invasive' species and adding them to your cart," he said.
The researchers said ornamental plants are often selected for traits that appeal to buyers, such as fast growth, easy spread, and pest resistance. Those same characteristics can also help them become successful invaders.
What can be done?
The authors argue for stricter oversight of online ornamental plant sales in India, including stronger risk screening and a blacklist-style ban on species already verified as invasive in the country.
They also highlighted a regulatory gap. The 2003 Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order lists 57 quarantine weed species, but only one of them overlaps with the invasive species recognized by India's alien flora database.
The study also proposes practical steps including optional risk labels, more native alternatives, and retailer certification models such as California's PlantRight program.
Mam Singh, Principal Scientist (greenhouse floriculture) at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, said those kinds of measures are workable from an industry perspective.
"The knowledge is there," said Bhutia. "How to merge that knowledge with regulations would be the next step."
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