Exotic & Invasive plants in Florida

Galleries 1 2 3

Click pictures to see full sized images

Picture - Bowstring Hemp in bloom

Name - Bowstring Hemp, Mother-in-laws tongue

(Sansevieria hyacinthoides)

Category 2 Invasive

Family - Agavaceae

Description - Perennial. Sub-shrub/Forb/Herb with leathery mottled leaves. Height to 3 feet. Dry sites, old home sites, escapes from cultivation.

Picture - Ceaserweed in bloom

Name - Caesarweed

(Urena lobata)

Category 2 Invasive

Family - Malvaceae, (Hibiscus family)

Description - Perennial, Subshrub. Height 3-4 feet, small pink flower, seeds are a burr. Widespread in various Florida habitats.

Pictures - Lead Tree leaf and flower, flower detail

Name - Lead Tree, Jumbie Bean

(Leucaena leucocephala)

Category 2 Invasive

Family - Fabaceae

Habitat - West Indies, escapes from cultivation.

Description - Shrub or small tree to about 30 feet. Leaves alternate, bipinnately compound up to a foot long, each with 10 - 20 pairs of opposite, oblong leaflets.

Flower - Clusters of white/creamy white puffball, 3/4 inch in diameter. Fruit is a flattened reddish-brown or brown pod.

Pictures - Sesbania punicea flowerand leaf, fruit.

Name - Rattle Box, Spanish Gold

(Sesbania punicea)

Category 2 Invasive

Family - Fabaceae

Description - Small tree reaching 6-8 feet often forming dense thickets. Leaf is alternate, compound, 5-7 inches long with 7-16 pairs of 1 inch elliptical leaflets.

Flower- Orange-red pea-like flowers in hanging clusters spring through early summer. Fruit is a brown legume ending in a sharp point, 3 to 4 inches long with 4 conspicuous longitudinal wings.

Pictures - Mahoe with yellow flower, Mahoe with orange flower

Name - Sea Hibiscus, Mahoe

(Hibiscus tiliaceus L.)

Family - Malvaceae

Habitat - Ruderal, coastal areas, roadsides

Description - Not native, introduced category II exotic. Large shrub, small tree to 25 feet in height with a spreading habit of growth. Leaves are alternate, broadly cordate with pubescent lower surface.

Flower - Hibiscus type flower, yellow at opening, turning reddish-orange by days end.

Pictures - Natal Plum flower, Natal plum fruit

Name - Natal Plum

(Carissa macrocarpa)

Family - Apocynaceae

Habitat - Escapes from cultivation, dry sandy soils

Description - Introduced shrub to 20 feet tall is widely cultivated, several hybrids produced. Dark green leaves are 2-3 inches long, opposite, ovate and have a glossy upper surface. Branches have 'Y' shaped spines to 3 inches long.

Flower - Fragrant 2 inch white flowers have 5 overlapped petals with a waxy look. Fruit is a red berry about 2 inches long.

Pictures - Strawberry Guava fruit, leaf detail.

Name - Strawberry Guava

(Psidium cattleianum Sabine)

Family - Myrtaceae

Habitat - Escapes from cultivation into wet areas.

Description - Category I invasive exotic. Small tree or large shrub to 25 feet tall, grey to reddish-brown peeling bark, leaves are opposite with entire margins, elliptic to oblong shaped to 3 inches long.

Flower - Single white flowers produced from leaf axils, are just over 1 inch wide with many white and yellow stamens. Fruit is a purplish-red globose berry to about 2 1/2 inches long containing many seeds.

Pictures - Two-leafed Nightshade, close-up of fruit.

Name - Two-leafed Nightshade, Two-leafed Solanum, Amatillo

(Solanum diphyllum)

Family - Solanaceae

Habitat - Ruderal, escapes from cultivation. Rare

Description - Category 2 invasive species. Up to 6 feet in height, leaves in pairs with 1 leaf larger, deep green, smooth, 1-3 inches long

Flower - Clusters of white flowers with yellow antlers - similar to the Black Nightshade plant, fruit is a 1/2 inch round, hard berry, yellow to orange in color.

Picture - Silky Sesban with flower and fruit.

Name - Silky Sesban

(Sesbania sericea (Willd) D.C.)

Family - Fabaceae

Habitat - Disturbed sites, Margins of fresh water marshes, ponds, lakes, river and creek banks, other moist sites.

Description - Introduced annual or sometimes perennial shrub with an open airy growth habit, 6 to 7 feet in height. Flowers on racemes, yellow, fruit is a long (8-12 inches) pea like narrow pod.

Picture - Papaya tree with fruit

Name - Papaya

(Carica papaya)

Family - Acanthaceae

Description - Introduced. Erect, un-branched, soft trunk 6-20 feet (average 10') with umbrella like canopy of deeply palmate 7 lobed leaves borne on 24" long petioles. Bark green to light brown.

Flower- Yellow, trumpet shaped, 2 inches. Fruit 3 1/2 inch, round to pear shaped.

Habitat - Hammocks, shell mounds, primarily near the coast.

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Exotic & Invasive plants in Florida

Galleries 1 2 3

Click pictures to see full sized images

Picture - Bowstring Hemp in bloom

Name - Bowstring Hemp, Mother-in-laws tongue

(Sansevieria hyacinthoides)

Category 2 Invasive

Family - Agavaceae

Description - Perennial. Sub-shrub/Forb/Herb with leathery mottled leaves. Height to 3 feet. Dry sites, old home sites, escapes from cultivation.

Picture - Ceaserweed in bloom

Name - Caesarweed

(Urena lobata)

Category 2 Invasive

Family - Malvaceae, (Hibiscus family)

Description - Perennial, Subshrub. Height 3-4 feet, small pink flower, seeds are a burr. Widespread in various Florida habitats.

Pictures - Lead Tree leaf and flower, flower detail

Name - Lead Tree, Jumbie Bean

(Leucaena leucocephala)

Category 2 Invasive

Family - Fabaceae

Habitat - West Indies, escapes from cultivation.

Description - Shrub or small tree to about 30 feet. Leaves alternate, bipinnately compound up to a foot long, each with 10 - 20 pairs of opposite, oblong leaflets.

Flower - Clusters of white/creamy white puffball, 3/4 inch in diameter. Fruit is a flattened reddish-brown or brown pod.

Pictures - Sesbania punicea flowerand leaf, fruit.

Name - Rattle Box, Spanish Gold

(Sesbania punicea)

Category 2 Invasive

Family - Fabaceae

Description - Small tree reaching 6-8 feet often forming dense thickets. Leaf is alternate, compound, 5-7 inches long with 7-16 pairs of 1 inch elliptical leaflets.

Flower- Orange-red pea-like flowers in hanging clusters spring through early summer. Fruit is a brown legume ending in a sharp point, 3 to 4 inches long with 4 conspicuous longitudinal wings.

Pictures - Mahoe with yellow flower, Mahoe with orange flower

Name - Sea Hibiscus, Mahoe

(Hibiscus tiliaceus L.)

Family - Malvaceae

Habitat - Ruderal, coastal areas, roadsides

Description - Not native, introduced category II exotic. Large shrub, small tree to 25 feet in height with a spreading habit of growth. Leaves are alternate, broadly cordate with pubescent lower surface.

Flower - Hibiscus type flower, yellow at opening, turning reddish-orange by days end.

Pictures - Natal Plum flower, Natal plum fruit

Name - Natal Plum

(Carissa macrocarpa)

Family - Apocynaceae

Habitat - Escapes from cultivation, dry sandy soils

Description - Introduced shrub to 20 feet tall is widely cultivated, several hybrids produced. Dark green leaves are 2-3 inches long, opposite, ovate and have a glossy upper surface. Branches have 'Y' shaped spines to 3 inches long.

Flower - Fragrant 2 inch white flowers have 5 overlapped petals with a waxy look. Fruit is a red berry about 2 inches long.

Pictures - Strawberry Guava fruit, leaf detail.

Name - Strawberry Guava

(Psidium cattleianum Sabine)

Family - Myrtaceae

Habitat - Escapes from cultivation into wet areas.

Description - Category I invasive exotic. Small tree or large shrub to 25 feet tall, grey to reddish-brown peeling bark, leaves are opposite with entire margins, elliptic to oblong shaped to 3 inches long.

Flower - Single white flowers produced from leaf axils, are just over 1 inch wide with many white and yellow stamens. Fruit is a purplish-red globose berry to about 2 1/2 inches long containing many seeds.

Pictures - Two-leafed Nightshade, close-up of fruit.

Name - Two-leafed Nightshade, Two-leafed Solanum, Amatillo

(Solanum diphyllum)

Family - Solanaceae

Habitat - Ruderal, escapes from cultivation. Rare

Description - Category 2 invasive species. Up to 6 feet in height, leaves in pairs with 1 leaf larger, deep green, smooth, 1-3 inches long

Flower - Clusters of white flowers with yellow antlers - similar to the Black Nightshade plant, fruit is a 1/2 inch round, hard berry, yellow to orange in color.

Picture - Silky Sesban with flower and fruit.

Name - Silky Sesban

(Sesbania sericea (Willd) D.C.)

Family - Fabaceae

Habitat - Disturbed sites, Margins of fresh water marshes, ponds, lakes, river and creek banks, other moist sites.

Description - Introduced annual or sometimes perennial shrub with an open airy growth habit, 6 to 7 feet in height. Flowers on racemes, yellow, fruit is a long (8-12 inches) pea like narrow pod.

Picture - Papaya tree with fruit

Name - Papaya

(Carica papaya)

Family - Acanthaceae

Description - Introduced. Erect, un-branched, soft trunk 6-20 feet (average 10') with umbrella like canopy of deeply palmate 7 lobed leaves borne on 24" long petioles. Bark green to light brown.

Flower- Yellow, trumpet shaped, 2 inches. Fruit 3 1/2 inch, round to pear shaped.

Habitat - Hammocks, shell mounds, primarily near the coast.

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