Beautiful Invasive

Species of Virginia
What is an invasive species?

What threat

A non-native species of plant (or

animal) that invades a habitat, is able
to reproduce and thrive, and as a
result, pushes out the native flora and
do
they pose?
fauna.
Ecological and economic harm by
reducing biodiversity and changing the
chemical and biological structure of the
environment.

Get to know invasive species. Check before you buy, many of these
beautiful invasives are sold in stores and nurseries. Suspect an invasive
Photo
by: http://themysteriousworld.com/most-pleasant-smelling-flowers-in-thenearby?
Check the internet, or ask your local extension agent.

Wisteria floribunda
Japanese Wisteria
Introduced from Japan to the U.S. in the 1830s as an ornamental.
Wisteria floribunda is considered invasive throughout the Mid-Atlantic
and southern US.
A deciduous, woody vine that climbs trees, shrubs and man-made
structures, the vine climbs in a counter-clockwise direction.
Chinese wisteria vines climb in a clockwise direction!

Vines are slender, brown and hairy when young. As the plant
matures, it looses hair.
Leaves are alternate, compound and vary in length from 8-12 inches,
with 13-17 leaflets.
The vine flowers in April. Flowers are violet blue on long stalks. The
vine fruits after flowering. Fruits are in velvet pods with 3-6 round,
Wisteria floribunda prefers full sun to partial shade and deep loamy
flattened seeds.
and well drained soils. It can tolerate a variety of soils and therefore
can be found in a variety of locations, including forest edges,
roadsides
andvine
right-of-ways.
The climbing
wraps around native trees, tightening its grip and
killing natives by girdling them (cutting into the bark). As native
trees die, wisteria can further spread in the open areas, crowding out
any other native species that might have taken root.
(http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/wifl.htm)

Photo from: http://www.4trend.ro/destinatii-de-vis-pentru-2014-4479/

Iris
pseudacoru
s
Native to Eurasia and North Africa, the Yellow Flag Iris was introduced
Yellow
to the U.S. as an ornamental
flower. Flag
Iristhe exception of the Rocky
It is found throughout the U.S., with
Mountains.
Iris pseudacorus is an ornamental, aquatic perennial. The plant will
grow up to 2-3 feet tall and is found in large clumps as yellow
flowering plants. It reproduces by seed and rhizomes. Hundreds of
plants
connected
by a few
rhizomes. including wetlands, lake
The iriscan
is found
in aquatic
environments,
margins, slow rivers, and other shallows. It is a highly tolerant
species, capable of surviving droughts, salinity and high soil acidity.
Yellow Flag Iris is damaging to natural wetlands as it pushes out
native species and reduces plant diversity, reducing habitat for
aquatic species.
The plant is harmful to livestock and humans. Livestock may
become sickened if they eat the plant (however, most livestock avoid
the plant). The plant resin can cause a skin irritation for humans.
Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. (2015). Yellow Flag Iris. [webpage].
www.nwcb.wa.gov/detail.asp?weed=78. Accessed September 27, 2015.
Photo from: http://acelticyear.blogspot.com/2015/05/35-yellow-flag-iris.html

Lythrum salicaria
Purple Loosestrife
Purple loosestrife, a native of Eurasia, was brought to the
northeastern U.S. and Canada in the 1800s as an ornamental and
medicinal
According plant.
to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, lythrum salicaria is
now found throughout the entire U.S., except Florida.
Purple loosestrife is an erect perennial with a square woody stem
covered with downy hair. The plant will grow up to 4-10 feet high
and produces magenta flower spikes. A mature plant will have 30-50
stems per root stock and can produce up to 2-3 million seeds per
year. The plant spreads by seed, but also by underground rhizomes.
The plant prefers aquatic conditions and may be found in thickets in
wetlands (including fresh water, tidal and non-tidal wetlands), river
and stream banks, pond edges, roadside ditches and water
reservoirs.
Lythrum salicaria is invasive to wetlands and waters of the U.S.. It
has the capability to rapidly establish itself in disturbed areas and
may further encroach upon neighboring habitats. The plant
displaces native and endangered plants and provides little to no
value to wildlife.
(http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/lysa.htm)

Photo from: http://mkarroyo6.web.unc.edu/files/2011/04/pretty-loosestrife.jpg

Rosa multiflora
Multiflora Rose
Aellonative of Japan, Korea and Eastern China, rosa multiflora, was
brought to the eastern U.S. around 1866 as rootstock for ornamental
roses.
In the 1930s, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service promoted the use of
multiflora rose for hedgerows, or living fences to assist in erosion
control by confining livestock.
Some states encouraged planting of multiflora rose for wildlife cover.
Othermultiflora
state uses
the plant
included
barriers
along highway
Rosa
is of
found
throughout
thecrash
eastern
U.S., Washington
and
medians,
and to help reduce automobile headlight glare.
Oregon.
Multiflora rose is a thorny, multi-stemmed shrub that produces
clusters of showy fragrant flowers that are colored white or pink.
The shrub flowers in May and produces fruits, or rosehips, thereafter.
One plant can produce up to 1 million seeds per year.
The shrub inhabits pastures, forest edges, roadsides and highway
medians.
Multiflora rose thickets push out native shrubs and herbs affecting
native nesting grounds for birds. The shrub invades pasture and
unplowed lands creating livestock grazing problems and affects other
natural ecosystems.
(http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/romu.htm)
Photo from:

Albizia julibrissin
Mimosa or Silk Tree
The Silk Tree, or Mimosa, is a native of Asia and was introduced to
the U.S. around 1745 as an ornamental.
Albizia julibrissin is found throughout the eastern and southern U.S.
Mimosa is a deciduous tree that can grow to 10-50 feet tall. It has
fernlike leaves about 5-8 inches long. It blooms pink showy and
fragrant flowers that resemble puffballs, or pompoms. Fruits are flat
pods that grow 6 inches long and contain oval seeds. The tree
reproduces
by seed
dispersal
and through
expansion.
Albizia julibrissin
prefers
a location
with fullvegetative
sun, but can
tolerate a
variety habitats. Its tolerant of variable soils and is often found
along roadsides, vacant lots and stream beds. Its distribution is
limited
cold
and asinariparian
result isareas
not found
in northernwith
states.
Mimosaby
is a
problem
as it competes
native
trees and shrubs, reducing sunlight and consuming soil nutrients. It
can grow in dense thickets along forest edges and open fields. It
colonizes by root sprouts. Seed dispersal by wind, water and animals
makes it a widespread competitor.
(http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/weeds/silk-tree-mimosa_.pdf)

Photo from: http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/71/ombrella-mimosa-

Ficaria
verna
Fig
The Fig Buttercup is a native to Eurasia, North Africa and Siberia.
Buttercup
was brought to the U.S. as an
ornamental and is still sold

It

commercially.
Ficaria verna is found throughout the northeastern U.S. south to
Tennessee and is found in Oregon.
The Fig Buttercup is a perennial, succulent, flowering herb that
completes its life cycle in the winter and spring. It has kidney or
heart shaped leaves and buttery yellow symmetrical flowers. The
flowers have a dark center and 8-12 petals. The plant flowers in
early spring, often before other native flowers. When in full bloom,
thickets
of FigisButtercup
look open
like awoodlands,
green carpet
withfloodplains,
little yellowin
Ficaria verna
found in low,
along
dots.
meadows and wastelands. It prefers sandy soils.
The Fig Buttercup is a vigorous grower and flowers before native
plants with similar life cycles. As it develops large dense patches, it
shades out other sensitive native species, such as bloodroot, wild
ginger, trout lilly, trilliums, Virginia Bluebells, among others. These
natives provide fruits, seeds and nectar to a variety of wildlife and
insects. With increasing thickets of Fig Buttercup, the native plant
and animal communities suffer.
(http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pdf/rafi1.pdf)

Photo from: https://dukefarms.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/springephemeral/lesser-

Microstegium vimineum
Japanese Stiltgrass
Japanese stiltgrass is a native of Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia and
India. It was brought to the U.S. in 1919. It is reported that the plant
was used as packing material for porcelain and escaped in
Tennessee.
Microstegium vimineum is found throughout the eastern U.S., from
New York to Florida.
Japanese stiltgrass is an annual, bamboo-like grass with pale, lance
shaped leaves that can grow up to 2-3 feet in height. The grass
spreads by seed and vegetation (rooting along the stem as it makes
contact with soil). It readily germinates after disturbance. A single
plant
can produce
anywhere
from
100 almost
to 1,000
seeds. where some
Microstegium
vimineum
can be
found
anywhere
kind of disturbance has occurred, natural or man-made. It will grow
along riverbanks, floodplains, low forest floors, roadside ditches,
pipeline and overhead utility right-of-ways. It can grow in full sun to
deep shade and tolerates a variety of soil types, preferring moist,
rich
soil high
in nitrogen.
Japanese
stiltgrass
is an aggressive opportunist that thrives in
disturbed areas and its thickets will displace the native understory,
limiting biodiversity.
(http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/mivi.htm)

Photo from: http://hawkmountainiprp.blogspot.com/

Pueraria montana var. lobata

Kudzu
Kudzu is a native of Asia and the Pacific. It was brought to the U.S. in 1876 as
an ornamental presented at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. In the
1900s, it was used as a forage crop. Later, in the 1930s and 1940s, the Soil
Conservation Service paid southern farmers to plant the crop in areas of
disturbance and logged clear-cuts. As a result, approximately 1 million acres
were planted in kudzu. In 1950 the plant was deemed a pest weed. In 1998
the U.S. Congress identified kudzu as a noxious weed.
Pueraria montana var. lobata is found throughout the eastern U.S., North
Dakota
Oregon.
Kudzu isand
a vine
that can climb 32 to 100 feet in length. It has fleshy roots with
a potential tap root that can reach over 7 inches in diameter and grows over 6
feet deep. This tap root can weigh up to 400 pounds. One plant will produce
up to 30 vines. It has deciduous lobed leaves and fragrant upright clusters of
purple flowers. It produces brown hairy seed pods that contain up to 10
seeds per pod. Kudzu spreads by runners and rhizomes, making it difficult to
control
or eradicate.
Kudzu can
tolerate a variety of growing conditions and soil types. It prefers
open sunny areas such as forest edges, vacant fields, abandoned lots,
roadsides, and other disturbed areas. It grows in areas with mild winters and
warm,
wet
summers.
Kudzu is
a vigorous
grower that smothers and shades out native plants and
trees. It kills trees by girdling. In addition, the heavy weight of the vines can
cause damage to trees during storms and heavy snows. Anyone who has
seen kudzu, knows it appears to consume everything in its path.
(http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/pumol.htm)

http://www.gardenista.com/posts/killer-kudzu-5-ways-to-defeat-the-vine-thats-eating-the-eastern-seaboard

References:
Swearingen, J., B. Slattery, K. Reshetiloff, and S. Zwicker. 2010. Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, 4th ed.
National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, DC. 168pp.
USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Staff, Newtown Square, PA. WOW 12-13-04 Invasive Plants website:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants