Invasive Plants and their Native Plant Alternatives – Show Notes

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Ten invasive plants to avoid and awesome native plants to replace them!

• Some plants are more trouble than their beauty
• What is an invasive plant?
  • Alien plant
  • Dispersive habit
  • Displaces native habitats
  • Extensive coverage
• Hurts already fragile natural ecosystems
• Do not support native birds, butterflies, and moths
• Many are outlawed for sale in various states

Invasive trees to avoid and native alternatives to invasive trees

• Ornamental pear, Callery pear, Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana)
  • Small tree
  • Rapidly invading edge ecosystems across eastern US
  • One of most commonly sold plants in US
  • Native alternative to Bradford pear:
    • Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis and others)

• Norway maple (Acer platanoides)
  • Northern European native
  • Displaces native maple and other tree understory
  • Densely shades out understory
  • Native alternative to norway maple:
    • Red maple (Acer rubrum)

Invasive shrubs to avoid and native alternatives to invasive shrubs

• Privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium, vulgare)
  • Shrub
  • Grows dense thickets
  • Commonly grown as ornamental
  • Native alternative to privet:
    • Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

• Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maacki)
  • Shrub / tree
  • Forms dense thickets
  • Replaces understory of edge forest ecosystems
  • Native alternative to honeysuckle:
    • Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

• Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus)
  • Very popular for red foliage
  • Invades roadsides and edge habitat
  • Native alternative to burning bush:
    • Blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium)

Invasive vines to avoid and native alternatives to invasive vines

• Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
  • Vine
  • Grows quickly and girdles trees
  • Native alternative to japanese honeysuckle:
    • Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans)

• Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)
  • Beautiful climbing vine
  • Kills trees, takes over forested areas
  • Predominately invasive in SE, Atlantic coast
  • Native alternative to chinese wisteria:
    • Virgin’s bower, woodbine (Clematis virginiana)

Invasive plants to avoid and native alternatives to invasive plants

• Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
  • Completely takes over marshes and wetlands
  • Massively disrupts ecosystems and wildlife habitat
  • Native alternative to purple loosestrife:
    • Marsh blazing star (Liatris spicata)

• Wintercreeper Euonymus (Euonymus fortunei)
  • Groundcover creeping vine
  • Takes over spaces, similar to English Ivy
  • Displaces native groundcovers in forest ecosystems
  • Native alternative to wintercreeper euonymus:
    • Wild ginger (Asarum canadense)
    • Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pennsylvanica)

• Chinese silvergrass, Maidengrass, Miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis)
  • Invades roadsides, edges, and oldfields
  • Very dispersive, displaces native grasses and herbaceous plants
  • Native alternative to miscanthus:
    • Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

Special thanks to Missouri Botanical Garden and Invasive.org for their help in compiling this resource