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Since European explorers first made their way to its shores, Florida has
acquired over 1,300 exotic plants which are reproducing on their own in
the wild & apart from
human cultivation.
Exotics plants were brought to Florida for different reasons, some as food sources for early settlers, some introduced
years ago by collectors as specimens. In more recent times
many were, and still are being used for landscaping.
The problem exotic plants are considered "invasive". A lack of
natural controlling factors such as climate, diseases or insect pests
combined with the fact that in their native land they must often be very
aggressive just to survive can give them enough of an advantage to
outgrow and overwhelm Florida's native species.
Once established, invasive exotic plants displace our native plants and are difficult to
eradicate. Depending on the circumstances and the species, eradication efforts
may employ manual removal, chemical sprays, biological controls or more often a combination
of these methods.
Controlling these plants is vital to the preservation of Florida's
ecosystems and the survival of many native plants, and because native animals
rely on native plants for survival they too are affected.
Wild exotic plants are divided into two classifications * In Florida
there are 67 Category One exotic plants that are causing ecological damage to native
plant communities and 71 Category Two plants that are spreading and
increasing in range but have not yet caused ecological damage.*
More information and currently listed species of invasive plants can be found at the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council
website.
Residents & landowners can help to stop the spread of damaging exotic plants and aid in the preservation
of Florida's
unique biodiversity.
The best stratagy is not to introduce known invasive or
potentially invasive plants into home landscaping, substituting instead native
species where possible and limiting the use of exotic plants to those that are not
considered invasive.
Identifying and removing pre-existing invasive plants from your property will prevent the spread of exotic seeds into the wild by birds, animals and
wind.
Click any image for a larger version
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Brazilian Pepper Tree, Florida Pepper Tree
- Schinus terebinthifolius
Category 1 Invasive plant
Family - Anacardiaceae
Description - Perennial shrub or small tree up to 40 feet in height, forms dense
thickets of tangled branches and stems. Originally introduced to Florida as an
ornamental plant in the 1800's, the Brazilian Pepper has become a major pest.
Flowering in the fall (Sept.-Nov.) the fruit is a small red berry that is eaten
and dispersed by birds.
An aggressive invader of many habitats, the Brazilian pepper tree is estimated to occupy over
700,000 acres in central and southern Florida. Leaves have a "peppery"
smell when crushed. Sap is a irritant similar
to that of Poison Ivy to which it is related. Smoke from burning
wood is also toxic.
Melaleuca, Papertree, Punk tree - Melaleuca quinquenervia
Category 1 Invasive plant
Family - Myrtaceae (Myrtle family)
Habitat- Prefers seasonally flooded areas but also grows in upland habitats.
Description - Height 80 to 100 feet with slender
crown, leaves are 4-5 inches long, lance shaped grey-green in color produce a
camphor-like smell when crushed. Yellowish-white flowers are produced on bottle
brush shaped spikes to 6 inches long, followed by clusters of 3/8 inch round or
cylindrical woody capsules
Seeds were intentionally scattered by air over the Everglades in the
1930's with the idea being to help dry out swamps, it is now a major
pest in south Florida, particularly in wetland habitats. This fast
growing (3-6 feet a year) Australian native forms very dense stands,
crowding out all other plants.
Lantana, Shrub Verbena - Lantana camara
Category 1 Invasive plant
Family - Verbenaceae (Verbena family)
Description - Perennial, Deciduous. Shrub/Vine.
Height up to and over 6 feet with multiple square stems. Similar in appearance
to the endemic native Lantana species (Lantana depressa Small), the native has
tapered or crenate leaf bases whereas the exotic species has a squared off or
truncate leaf base.
Leaves are aromatic when bruised or crushed, small flowers are held in dense
flat topped clusters and may be white, pink, lavender, yellow, orange to red in
a single cluster, changing color over time.
Fruit is a small green round drupe, turning purple and then
blue-black.
Poisonous. Long touted as a low maintenance landscape
plant, now widespread in various habitats where it has interbred
with native lantana species.
Earleaf
Acacia - Acacia auriculiformis
Category 1 Invasive plant
Family - Fabaceae (Leguminosae)/Pea Family
Description - Compact tree to 50 feet in height, evergreen, commonly with
multiple stems/trunks. Leaves are simple, alternate, 5-8 inches long and dark
green with flattened stalks. Flowers are yellow-orange in spikes at leaf axis
and clusters of spikes at tips of stems. Fruit is a flat oblong pod which twists
and splits open as it matures, black seeds hang by a bright orange aril.
Used in landscaping for many years since
its introduction as an ornamental. Now found in pinelands, scrubs,
hammocks and disturbed areas.
Tropical Soda Apple - Solanum viarum Dunal
Category 1 Invasive plant
Family - Solanaceae (Nightshade)
Description - Perennial, native to South America. Height to 6 feet, more common at 3 ft. or
less. First discovered in Florida in 1988, has since spread to over
500,000 acres statewide. Identified by numerous straight thorns on
stems and leaves and its distinctive fruit.
Fruit is a poisonous globose berry, 0.8-1.2 inch wide, green with
darker veins like a miniature watermelon, turning a dull yellow at
maturity. Each fruit contains hundreds of small flattish seeds and a
single plants is capable of producing tens of thousands of seeds in
a single season. Cattle, raccoons, deer and birds feed on the fruit
and then disperse seeds.
Old World climbing fern - Lygodium japonicum
Category 1 Invasive plant
Family - Lygodiaceae (Climbing fern family)
Description - Perennial. Forb/Herb. Climbing with specially modified stem-like fronds 90 to 100 feet in length
allow this Australian native to grow into the forest canopy, shading out even mature trees.
This also allows normally beneficial ground fires to reach the tree tops and
become destructive, tree killing crown fires.
Leafy branches off of main frond 2 to 5 inches long, produce two
types of leaflets, one is a vegetative type of growth, the second is
the spore producing type of leaflet which is common to
ferns.
Beach naupaka,
Hawaiian half-flower - Scaevola plumieri
Category - Category 1 Invasive plant
Family - Goodeniaceae
Description - Large, bushy shrub to 16 ft. tall, commonly forming dense mounds.
Flowers are white to pale lilac in short clusters at leaf axils, fruit is a
green fleshy drupe.
Common to dunes, coastal hammocks and estuary shorelines. Once
promoted for use in beach stabilization projects, now displaces
native species.
Britton's Wild Petunia, Mexican Petunia - Ruellia
tweediana
Category 1 Invasive exotic plant
Family - Acanthaceae
Description - Widely used as a landscape plant, this herbaceous perennial
is extremely invasive, preferring moist soils it has been found in
natural areas throughout the state. Although it is often promoted as
a "butterfly nectar plant" by sellers there is no evidence to
support this claim. Height to 3 feet, Trumpet shaped
lavender flowers that are 1-1/4'' to 1-1/2'' across.
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Shoebutton Ardisia
- Ardisia elliptica
Category 1 Invasive plant
Family - Myrsinaceae
Habitat - Wet Flatwoods, Bottomland Forest, moist sites.
Description - Evergreen shrub or small tree to 17 feet with smooth stems. New
growth is reddish. Leaves are alternate, leathery, oblong to oval with entire
margins, up to 8 inches long.
Flower - Mauve, star shaped, 1/2 inch across, borne in axillary
clusters. Fruit is a small rounded black drupe. Distinguished from native Marlberry by reddish new growth and
flowers, which are at leaf axils rather than terminal cluster, the
native Marlberry has white flowers.
Carrotwood, Tuckaroo - Cupaniopsis anacardioides
Family - Sapindaceae
Category 1 tree originally from Australia introduced as a landscape plant, this
evergreen also produces large numbers of fruit and seed that are eaten and
spread by birds, creating new infestations. Carrotwood grows to around 30 feet
and has dark green, leathery, pinnately compound leaves. Adaptable to various
soil and moisture conditions, Carrotwood is a serious threat to native Mangrove
forest and swamp habitat.
Exotics Plants, Page
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