Invasives
Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)
Autumn olive is a deciduous shrub that can grow to 20 ft. in height. The stems, buds and leaves have a dense covering of silvery to rusty scales. Leaves are alternate, egg or lance-shaped, smooth margined, dull green above and often with brown scales beneath. Autumn olive flowers in June…
Black Swallowwort (Cynanchum louiseae syn: Cynanchum nigrum)
Black or Louis’ swallow-wort (previously Vincetoxicum nigrum and Cynanchum nigrum) is a perennial, twining herbaceous vine. The leaves are oval shaped with pointed tips, 3-4 in. long by 2-3 in. wide, and occur in pairs along the stem. The small five-petaled star shaped flowers are dark purple to almost black with white hairs, about…
Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus)
Overview: Deciduous shrub, regularly found in landscaped gardens. It has vibrant red fall foliage and showy bark Size: 22 feet tall and 12 feet wide Leaves: Opposite and elliptical in shape with toothed margins, and turn a brilliant scarlet in the fall Stem/Bark: Corky ridges form along the green twigs,…
Bush Honeysuckle (Lonucera maackii, Lonicera morrowii, Lonicera tatarica, Lonicera x bella)
Overview: Deciduous shrubs Size: 6-15 ft tall Leaves: 1-2 ½ inch, egg-shaped leaves are opposite along the stem and short-stalked Stem/Bark: Older stems are often hollow, unlike the native bush honeysuckles which are solid. Flowers: Pairs of fragrant, tubular flowers less than an inch long are borne along the stem…
Common Reed (Phragmites australis)
Common reed, or Phragmites, is a tall, perennial grass that can grow to over 15 feet in height. In North America, both native Phragmites (Phragmites australis ssp. americanus Saltonstall, P.M. Peterson & Soreng) and introduced subspecies are found. Introduced Phragmites forms dense stands which include both live stems and standing…
Eurasian Watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)
Eurasian watermilfoil, also called spike watermilfoil, is an emergent, herbaceous aquatic plant. Stems grow to the water surface, usually extending 3 to 10, but as much as 33, feet in length and frequently forming dense mats. Stems of Eurasian milfoil are long, slender, branching, hairless, and become leafless toward the…
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
Overview: A cool season biennial herb, with leaves that smell like garlic when crushed. In the first year it grows as a rosette and in its second year it grows rapidly into a mature plants that flowers, produces seed and dies by late June. Size: 2 to 3-½ feet in…
Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus)
Glossy buckthorn is a tall shrub or small tree reaching 20-25 feet in height and 10 inches in diameter. Most often it grows in a large shrub growth form, having a few to several stems from the base. The shrub has spreading, loosely-branched crowns. The leaves are thin, glossy, and…
Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
Overview: Deciduous, thorny shrub. Dense in full sun but sparse in shade. Size: Typically 2 to 8 ft tall Leaves: Small (½ to 1 ½ inches long), oval to spatula-shaped, green, bluish-green, or dark reddish purple. Stem/Bark: Brown, deeply grooved, somewhat zigzag in form and bear a single very sharp…
Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica)
Japanese knotweed is a tall herbaceous perennial that can grow to over 10 feet in height. As with all members of this family, the base of the stem above each joint is surrounded by a membranous sheath. The stems are smooth, stout and swollen at joints where the leaf meets…