Invasive Plants

This woody perennial vine was introduced from China around 1860 and is still widely sold for landscaping. Unfortunately, this colorful non-native spreads from cultivation to old home sites, roadsides, fields, and forests, causing habitat destruction. It is invasive in natural areas of many eastern states, including Arlington and Alexandria, and national parks from Maine to North Carolina.

This hardy native of Japan and northern China was introduced to the U. S. in 1870 and is still popular in the horticultural trade. Its attractive berries are carried by animals beyond garden plantings, allowing the vine to spread into natural areas where it can climb to heights of 20 feet or more. It is reported as invasive throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and is prolific in natural areas in Arlington.

Also known as Sweet Autumn Virginsbower, this ornamental species was introduced from Japan and China and is still widely sold in the nursery trade. It produces tremendous amounts of seed, allowing it to escape from cultivation into fencerows and roadsides where It forms a dense tangle that can smother native vegetation. It is report

Japanese Honeysuckle, a species native to eastern Asia, is a perennial vine that climbs by twisting its stems around vertical structures. First introduced to this country in the early 1800s and enjoyed for its fragrant flowers and nectar, this ubiquitous invader now threatens forests and wetlands throughout the eastern half of the United States. Both Arlington County and Alexandria list it as invasive.

These similar-looking exotic species were introduced from China in 1816 and Japan around 1830. Favored for their rapid growth, dense foliage, and fragrant blooms, they have been used extensively as decorative additions to porches, walls, and gazebos. Unfortunately, they are now reported as invasive in forested areas throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, including Northern Virginia.

Originally from eastern Asia, this vine was introduced in 1845 as an ornamental plant. It has now been found to be infesting forest habitats where it can grow from 20 to 40 feet in a season, smothering native understory plants. It is considered problematic in several Mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia, where both Arlington and Alexandria list it as invasive.

Also known as Empress Tree, this native of China was imported to Europe in the 1830s and then introduced shortly after into the U. S. where it has been cultivated as an ornamental in parks and gardens. Touted as the fastest growing tree in the world, its aggressive spread into natural areas has caused it to be listed as invasive throughout much of the east coast, including Arlington and Alexandria.

This native of eastern Asia was introduced in 1862 as an ornamental and gained favor during the past 50 years as a street tree and a source of food for small game such as turkeys. Its rapid growth allows it to outcompete native oaks, and the dispersal by animals of its numerous acorns has caused it to become a problem species in forests along the east coast. Alexandria lists it invasive and Arlington designates is as a threat.

Also known as Chinese or Stinking Sumac, this plant was introduced from China in 1784 as a specimen and shade tree. It was commonly found in nurseries by 1840 and has been popular in urban plantings ever since. This rapidly-growing tree has now overwhelmed natural areas in over 30 states and is reported as invasive in both Arlington and Alexandria as well as in many national parks in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.

This native of northern China was introduced in colonial times as a food source for silkworms. Although the silk industry did not succeed, the non-native tree thrived and has since spread throughout almost the entire U. S. It aggressively colonizes open areas, displacing native species, and is considered problematic in many states. Both Alexandria and Arlington list it as invasive.

While some non-native ornamental cherry trees, such as Yoshino and Kwanzan, bear little or no fruit, other exotic fruit-bearing members of the Prunus genus, which have been introduced and cultivated since colonial times, naturalize from gardens into the wild. Sweet Cherry and Higan Cherry are now listed as invasive in Northern Virginia and 13 counties in Maryland, with other alien cherry species considered a threat.

Brought to the U. S. in the 1700s by European settlers, these natives of Europe, Asia, and northern Africa have since escaped from cultivation and naturalized in minimally managed areas.

The Norway Maple, a species native to Europe and Western Asia, was introduced to the United States as an ornamental shade tree. Extensively planted in urban areas and still widely sold in nurseries, it has become invasive along the east coast as far south as Tennessee and North Carolina and also in the Pacific Northwest.

Also known as Silk Tree or Silky Acacia, this Asian native was introduced from China in 1745 and has been cultivated as an ornamental because of its showy flowers. As a prolific seeder, it can escape cultivation and readily establish in natural areas. It is reported as invasive in Arlington, Alexandria, and a number of national parks including nearby Rock Creek.

This native of Japan, Korea, and China was introduced in the early 1800s and is currently a favored ornamental specimen plant. Due to its prolific seeding, this tree can escape from cultivation and spread into forests and along roadsides and streams. It is listed as a problem plant by the Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council and is reported as invasive in nearby Rock Creek National Park.

This Asian native was introduced to North America in 1763 and has become a popular landscape tree with its colorful flowers and interesting fruit. Unfortunately, it escapes from cultivation and naturalizes in a variety of environmental conditions. It is especially troublesome in warmer climates and is considered as invasive in natural areas in both Arlington County and the City of Alexandria

Long favored for their spring flowering displays, some non-native crabapple trees introduced into the North America from Asia and Siberia as ornamental trees and rootstock have escaped from cultivation and naturalized in parts of Canada and south into Missouri and Virginia.

These Asian natives were introduced in the 1860s for their hardiness, fast growth, and adaptability and are still sold as shade and windbreak trees. Their quickly developing fruits can be dispersed by wind away from landscape plantings, and grasslands and stream banks are vulnerable to infestation. The trees are classified as invasive in 25 states, including Virginia, and are locally prolific.

Originally brought to the United States from Asia to combat disease affecting the common pear, this non-native tree, including the popular ‘Bradford’ cultivar, is now planted in high density in a variety of urban and suburban settings. It can spread aggressively outside cultivation. The National Park and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services consider it a plant invader of Mid-Atlantic natural areas. Wild forms develop traits of the original trees, including thorns.

Noted for its exotic blooms, this shrub’s native range is Asia where it is the national flower of South Korea. It was introduced sometime before 1600 as an ornamental with herbal applications. Although it is commonly planted along fence lines, this prolific seeder has escaped cultivation in much of the eastern U. S. and is reported as invasive in Virginia, specifically in both Arlington and Alexandria.

First introduced from Asia in 1852 as ornamentals, this group of shrubs was used extensively for privacy hedging before their invasive characteristics were discovered. Now they disrupt native plant communities in the understory of forests throughout the southeastern U. S., including Virginia. Both Arlington County and Alexandria list these species as invasive.

This popular evergreen shrub was originally introduced to the U.S. from Asia in 1804 as an ornamental plant and is still widely available in the nursery trade. Unfortunately, its colorful berries are one of the means of its escape from gardens, and it has now naturalized and invaded forest habitat in all southern states from Virginia across to Texas. Both Alexandria and Arlington list it as invasive.

Sometimes called Leatherleaf Holly, this distinctive evergreen shrub was introduced in the mid-1800s as an ornamental. Although still a popular landscape plant, it has increasingly spread into woodlands from Maryland to Florida, including in Rock Creek and Wolf Trap parks, and is now classified as invasive. It is on Arlington County’s list of invasive plants.

Also known as Japanese Meadowsweet, this ornamental shrub was first introduced from Asia around 1870 to 1880 due to its showy flowers. Its rapid spread when it escapes from cultivation crowds out native species in natural areas. It is now classified as invasive in the Mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia, and is on the list for Arlington County.