Invasive plants

Published plant profiles

• Invasive plant

  Burning bush

  Euonymus alatus

  Burning bush identification: opposite leaves, corky winged twigs and bright red fall color. It is still sold in some states; check your state list first.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Callery pear

  Pyrus calleryana

  Callery pear identification: white five-petaled flowers before the leaves, glossy wavy leaves and a rancid spring smell.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Creeping charlie

  Glechoma hederacea

  Creeping charlie identification: square stems, opposite scalloped leaves and a minty smell, spreading by runners that root at nodes.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  English ivy

  Hedera helix

  English ivy identification: lobed juvenile leaves creep and climb, while unlobed adult leaves flower and fruit. The vine stays green all winter.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Garlic mustard

  Alliaria petiolata

  Garlic mustard identification: a first-year rosette, a second-year flower stem and a garlic smell when a leaf is crushed.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Giant hogweed

  Heracleum mantegazzianum

  Giant hogweed identification: deeply cut leaves, coarse stem hairs and white flower heads up to 2.5 feet wide. Its sap burns skin, so identify from a distance.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Japanese knotweed

  Reynoutria japonica

  Japanese knotweed identification: hollow jointed stems, squared leaf bases and deep rhizomes. It resembles bamboo but has herbaceous stems.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Japanese stiltgrass

  Microstegium vimineum

  Japanese stiltgrass identification: a silver stripe down the blade, shallow roots and late-summer seed heads. Learn how to stop it before it seeds.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Lesser celandine

  Ficaria verna

  Lesser celandine identification: glossy leaves and eight to twelve yellow petals in early spring, usually gone underground by late May.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Mile-a-minute weed

  Persicaria perfoliata

  Mile-a-minute weed identification: triangular leaves, a saucer-shaped sheath and backward barbs on the stem. Learn how to stop this annual vine before seed set.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Multiflora rose

  Rosa multiflora

  Multiflora rose identification: fringed stipules at the leaf base, white five-petaled flowers and arching thorny canes that form dense thickets.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Oriental bittersweet

  Celastrus orbiculatus

  Oriental bittersweet identification: twining stems, glossy leaves and yellow-orange fruit that splits to red. Fruit grows along the stem, not just at the tips.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Poison hemlock

  Conium maculatum

  Poison hemlock identification: a smooth, hollow stem with purple blotches and fern-like leaves. All parts are toxic if eaten; wear gloves when handling.

  Identification, range and management

• Invasive plant

  Tree of heaven

  Ailanthus altissima

  Tree of heaven identification: long compound leaves with smooth edges and a gland at each leaflet base, pale bark and a strong odor when crushed.

  Identification, range and management