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Little River Canyon
National Preserve
Invasive Plants
What is an invasive plant?
Invasive plants are nonnative plants
that grow in an environment that has
no native diseases, parasites, or
predators.
This allows them to grow rapidly and be
destructive to native plants.
How did they get here?
These exotic plants were introduced
into this country by early explorers
and settlers.
Most were brought here as
ornamentals or for livestock forage.
Today many people still use exotic
plants in lawns for their beauty.
• Highly invasive plants can be very destructive
to the natural environment.
• Because of the lack of natural controls
(diseases, predators, etc…), these plants have
an advantage over native species and can
easily take over their habitat.
This Japanese Stilt Grass has almost completely taken
over under this canopy. It is a ground cover that is of little
value as food for wildlife and was first found in the U.S.
around 1919.
Three Examples of Invasive Plants at
Little River Canyon National Preserve
• Silktree, Mimosa
• Princesstree, Paulownia
• Chinese/European Privet
Silktree, Mimosa
A traditional ornamental
introduced from
Asia in 1745.
In
Bloom
Princesstree, Paulownia
An ornamental that was
introduced in the early
1800s from Asia.
Very
Young
Tree
Has broad velvety leaves.
Has pale-violet flowers before
leaves in early spring.
Chinese/European Privet
Ornamentals that were introduced from
China and Europe in the early to mid-1800s.
Often used as decorative border shrubs.
How to Control Invasive Plants
• First avoid buying and planting exotic
nonnative plants
• Herbicides (Be careful and follow
instructions)
• Hand Pulling- be sure to remove all parts
of the plant from the soil.
Just a Reminder
• Some plants are poisonous!
• Some plants can cause an allergic
reaction!