Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests

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Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests
Field Guide by James H. Miller
Presentation by Britta Dimick New Employee
Orientation November 4, 2004
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Agenda

• Presentation (lt2 hours)
• invasive species introduction
• FIA P2-monitoring of invasives
• invasive species in the South
• key characteristics
• ecology
• pressed specimens
• Field identification (2 hours)
• Test (1 hr)

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Invasive Species

• nonnative, introduced to an ecosystem
• introduction (potentially) causes
• economic or environment harm
• most arrived as ornamentals or for livestock
  forage
• without natural predators and disease that keep
  native
• plant populations in balance, they expand
  without
• competition or opposition
• reduce forest productivity
• hinder forest use for management or recreation
  activities
• diminish diversity, disturb wildlife habitats
• abundance, regional impact, range, and rate of
  spread
• are not well known monitoring in necessary

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P2 Invasive Species Data Collection

• every subplot with accessible forest condition
• 4 most dominant invasive species (from most to
  least)
• 4 digit code for species 1st digit indicates
  life form
• code for percent cover
• Southern Region Nonnative Invasive Plant List
• 33 species listed

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Trees
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Tree of Heaven (Alianthus altissima)

• Leaves
• 2 pinnately compound
• leaf stalk with swollen base
• leaflets arranged sub-opposite
• circular glands under lobes at
• leaflet base
• Resembles Sumac
• Ecology
• Forms thickets
• Shade and flood tolerant

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Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin)

• Leaves
• bipinnately compound
• leaflets lt1 in length
• feathery/fern like appearance
• Stems
• lenticels
• green-gray
• Resembles Honey locust
• Ecology
• Moist soil/stream banks
• open habitats

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Princess Tree (Paulownia tomentosa)

• Leaves
• opposite, entire
• heart shaped, fuzzy hairs
• 10X10 inches
• Flowers and fruit
• erect pink panicles
• fruit capsules persistent
• Resembles Catalpa
• Ecology
• Forms colonies
• Forest margins

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Chinaberry (Melia azedarach)

• Leaves
• alternately whorled
• bipinnately compound
• leaflets serrated
• Resembles Elderberry
• Ecology
• forms colonies
• roadsides
• forest margins

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Tallow Tree (Triadica sebifera)

• Leaves
• alternately whorled
• heart shaped, entire
• 1-3 petioles
• Ecology
• wet ditches, streambanks,
• riverbanks, uplands sites

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Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)

• Leaves
• deciduous, long lanceolate
• sparse silver scales above
• dense silver scales below
• Stems
• thorny
• silver scales/smooth green-red
• Resembles
• Thorny olive
• Autumn olive
• Ecology
• forest margins
• forest openings

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Shrubs
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Thorny Olive (Elaeagnus pungens)

• Leaves
• evergreen, elliptic
• wavy margins
• silver scales above and below
• scattered brown scales below
• Stems
• thorny
• brown, with brown scales
• Resembles
• Russian olive, Autumn olive
• Ecology
• scattered individuals occur in
• openings and in shade

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Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)

• Leaves
• deciduous, elliptic
• wavy margins
• pubescent, scale-less above
• dense silver scales below
• Stems
• spur twigs common (thorny)
• grey-green, smooth, glossy
• Resembles
• Russian olive, Thorny olive
• Ecology
• individuals and stands occur
• in openings and in shade

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Winged Burning Bush (Euonymus alata)

• Leaves
• Opposite, obovate, acute
• margins crenate
• turns bright red in fall
• Stems
• 4 corky wings or ridges
• Resembles Blueberry
• Ecology
• shade tolerant
• forest understory, openings,
• and margins

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Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense)
Japanese Privet (Ligustrum japonicum)

• Leaves
• opposite, in 2 rows
• elliptic, entire, 1
• hairy midvein below
• Ecology
• forms dense thickets
• along forest margins

• Leaves
• opposite, leathery, 2-4
• entire, margins yellow,
• margins turned upward
• Ecology
• forms dense thickets
• along forest margins

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Nandina (Nandina domestica)

• Leaves
• alternately whorled
• pinnately compound
• leaf base clasps stem, V notch
• leaflets attached at red tinged
• joint which segments stalk
• Ecology
• forest understory, margins

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Multifloral Rose (Rosa multiflora)

• Plant
• climbing, arching, or trailing
• recurved thorns
• Leaves
• pinnately compound
• serrated leaflets
• leafstalk base clasping with
• bristles on margins
• Resembles Carolina Rose
• Ecology
• forms infestations
• forest margins

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Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)

• Plant shrub
• Leaves
• opposite, ovate, acute
• entire
• Resembles
• Japanese honeysuckle
• Ecology
• dense thickets on roadsides,
• open forests, forest margins

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Vines
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Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

• Leaves
• opposite, in 2 rows, ovate
• entire, acute
• spring foliage lobed
• Stems brown hairy, vine
• Resembles
• Amur honeysuckle
• Yellow jassamine
• Ecology
• most common invasive
• forest margins, openings
• forest understory and canopy

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Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
Chinese Yam (Dioscorea oppositifolia)

• Leaves
• alternate, 3
• margins blunt toothed
• Resembles
• American bittersweet
• Ecology
• forest margins, roadside

• Leaves
• heart shaped
• palmate veins, thornless
• Resembles Greenbriar
• Ecology
• forms dense thickets
• along forest margins

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Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei)
Common/Big Periwinkle (Vinca minor/major)

• Leaves
• opposite, broadly oval
• margins crenate
• smooth, glossy
• Ecology
• forms dense ground
• cover and climbs trees

• Leaves
• opposite, narrow elliptic
• entire (lt1 and gt1.5)
• smooth, glossy
• Ecology
• forms dense thickets
• under forest canopies

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Chinese/Japanese Wisteria (Wisteria
sinensis/floribunda)

• Leaves
• alternate, odd pinnately compound
• Chinese 7-13 leaflets
• Japanese 13-19 leaflets
• leaflets oval-elliptic, entire
• Resembles
• Native wisterias
• Trumpet creeper
• Ecology
• forms dense infestations
• wet to dry sites

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English Ivy (Hedera helix)
Kudzu (Pueraria montana)

• Leaves
• alternate, dark green
• entire, 0-5 lobes
• thick, waxy, smooth
• Ecology
• moist open forest

• Leaves
• trifoliate, alternate
• long tipped, slightly lobed
• leaflets
• Ecology
• forms dense ground mats
• and invades the canopy

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Grasses
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Giant Reed (Arundo donax)

• Leaves
• alternate, corn like,
• clasping/whitish base
• Flowers erect
• Stem
• overlapping sheaths
• Resembles
• common reed
• Ecology
• uplands, roadsides
• forest margins

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Chinese Silver Grass (Miscanthus sinensis)

• Leaves
• midvein white above and
• green ridged beneath
• margins rough
• Flowers
• plumed panicle
• drooping
• reddish seeds in fall
• Ecology
• forest margins
• roadsides
• disturbed sites

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Golden Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea)

• Leaves grass like, large hairs at base of
  petioles
• Stems hollow, jointed canes, 1-6 in diameter,
  
• Ecology escaped from old home sites, moist
  areas

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Napalese Brown Top (Microstegium vimineum)

• Leaves
• midvein whitish and off-center
• Flowers
• terminal, thin, raceme
• Stems
• overlapping sheaths
• hairless nodes and internodes
• Ecology moist areas

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Tall Fescue (Lolium arundinaceum)
Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica)

• Leaves
• rising from the base
• sheaths overlap, hairy
• midvein off-center
• Seeds silvery hairy husks
• Ecology
• full sun, colony forming

• Leaves
• basal, white flared collar
• Stems
• swollen light green nodes
• Resembles other grasses
• Ecology
• forms extensive colonies

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Ferns
Japanese Climbing Fern (Lygodium japonicum)

• Leaves opposite on vine, compound, triangular
  outline
• Resembles American climbing fern
• Ecology open forests, forest margins, ROWs,
  dense mats

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Forbs
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Garlic Mustard (Allaria petiolata)

• Leaves
• early basal rosette
• kidney, heart, or
• triangle shaped
• margins coarsely toothed
• Ecology
• floodplains
• forest understory
• forest openings
• forest margins

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Chinese Lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata)

• Leaves
• alternate, crowded, numerous
• trifoliate, leaflets long/slender
• Flowers
• white with purple markings
• Resembles native lespedeza
• Ecology
• forest openings, upland woods
• savannas, old fields, ROWs,
• forms infestations

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Shrubby Lespedeza (Lespedeza bicolor)

• Leaves
• alternate, crowded, numerous
• trifoliate, leaflets elliptic
• Flowers
• purple
• Resembles native lespedeza
• Ecology
• forest openings, upland woods
• savannas, old fields, ROWs,
• forms infestations

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Tropical Soda Apple (Solanum viarum)

• Leaves
• 6 X 4 inches
• deeply lobed, velvety hairs
• thorns on veins and petiole
• Stems
• 3-6 feet tall
• thorns
• Resembles
• Horsenettle
• Ecology open sites

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QUESTIONS?