Invasive Exotic Plants in Florida - Page 4 of 4


Florida's Nature/Home Florida Plants Native Trees & Shrubs Wild Exotic Plants Florida Vines Browse a list of plants Florida Wildflowers White Flowers Red & Orange Flowers Yellow Flowers Blue & Purple Flowers Florida Landscape Plants Trees Shrubs Florida Habitats Wetlands Uplands Florida Wildlife Venomous Snakes Birds Assorted Animals Glossary	Invasive Exotic Plants in Florida Exotic Plants, Page - 1 2 3 4 Plants on this page - Surinam Cherry, Chinese Tallow, African Rosemallow, Javanese Bishopwood
	Surinam Cherry, Brazilian Cherry - Eugenia uniflora Family - Myrtaceae Description - Introduced to Florida with origins in S. America. (Surinam, Guyana) Considered a Category 1 invasive by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. Growing as a shrub or small tree to 25 feet, this plant has been used extensively in Florida landscaping and has escaped in to the wild in most, if not all, South Florida Counties. Surinam cherry has bright, copper colored new leaves that are a shiny bright green when mature are simple, arranged opposite, mostly ovate sometimes ovate-lanceolate with entire margins and may have acute or almost rounded apices. Grows with a open, sparsely branched habit. Flowers are on long stalks, small and white with 4 petals and many stamens and are produced from the leaf axils. Fruit is bright red or orange and looks like a small flattened pumpkin. Chinese Tallow Tree, Popcorn Tree - Sapium sebiferum L. Family - Euphorbiaceae Description - Introduced, category 1 invasive exotic. Fast growing deciduous perennial tree, 30 to 50 feet. Widely used in landscaping. Leaves are alternate with entire margins, broadly ovate with acuminate apices. Commonly found in wet areas - low lying forests, freshwater swamps margins of rivers, lakes, ponds, creeks, and ditch banks. Can be found drier upland habitats as well. Flower - Small yellow flowers on spikes to near 8 inches long. Fruit is a waxy three lobed capsule 1/2 inch in diameter. African Rosemallow - Hibiscus acetosella Family - Malvaceae Habitat - Ruderal, Wet Flatwoods Description - Introduced annual or perennial shrub 2 - 5 feet tall, deep red-crimson leaves are alternate, 3 lobed deeply cut with serrate margins on long petioles. Flowers are pink to deep red, 3 - 5 inches across. Javanese Bishopwood, Toog tree - Bischofia javanica Family - Euphorbiaceae Habitat - Disturbed wetland sites, Cypress domes, Hardwood hammocks Description - FLEPPC Category I Invasive exotic tree, introduced from Asia as an ornamental landscape tree & is now invading natural areas in South Florida where it alters/displaces native plant communities. Seeds are dispersed by birds that eat the fruit. Height to 60 feet, leaves are on long petioles (stems), are compound with 3 leaflets & toothed margins, often with a bronze hue. Thrives in moist soil, flowers are in racemes at leaf axils, fruit is a small round brown/reddish brown to dark blue berry less than a 1/2'' in diameter, produced in large clusters. Sap is milky, as is typical of the Euphorbiaceae family.
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