INVASIVE PLANTS: Know them—Don&rsq
... Read Moreuo;t grow them
What are invasive plants?
These non-native plant species are “overachievers.” Once
established in natural areas, they outcompete native species.
Invasive plants cause profound environmental and economic
damage, and are a major threat to native habitats worldwide.
Some invasives have escaped from our home gardens and
public plantings into natural areas. Each state has different
problematic plants. See other side for our top 20 offenders;
Don’t buy these plants
Although experts have determined that these plants are
invasive in most of New England, and harmful to the environment,
the plants listed in bold are still widely available
in catalogs and nurseries.
Norway maple Acer platanoides
Bishop’s weed Aegopodium podagraria
Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata
Japanese barberry Berberis thunbergii
Oriental bittersweet Celastrus orbiculatus
Swallowworts Cynanchum nigrum and C. rossicum
Autumn olive Elaeagnus umbellata
Burning bush Euonymus alatus
Glossy buckthorn Frangula alnus
Yellow flag iris Iris pseudacorus
Blunt-leaved privet Ligustrum obtusifolium
Shrub-like honeysuckles Lonicera morrowii, L. x bella,
L. maackii, L. tatarica
Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera japonica
Purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria
Water-milfoils Myriophyllum aquaticum,
M. heterophyllum, M. spicatum
Common reed Phragmites australis
Japanese knotweed Polygonum cuspidatum
(Fallopia japonica)
Common buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica
Multiflora rose Rosa multiflora
Water chestnut Trapa natans
For a list of our recommended substitute plants and
information about methods for removing invasive plants
visit www.newenglandwildflower.org.
How you can help
_ Learn which plants are invasive in your state.
_ Purchase and grow only non-invasive plants.
_ Ask your local garden center/nursery to stop selling
invasive plants.
_ Volunteer in your community to help control invasive plants.
_ Inform your community about the threats posed by
invasive plants.
New England Wild Flower Society