Florida   Exotic Pest Plant Council's

2003

 

List of Invasive Species

 

Purpose of the List:  To focus attention on --

Ø      the adverse effects of exotic pest plants on Florida's biodiversity and ecosystems,

Ø      the habitat losses from exotic pest plant infestations,

Ø      the impacts on endangered species via habitat loss and alteration,

Ø      the need to prevent habitat losses through pest-plant management,

Ø      the socio-economic impacts of these plants (e.g., increased wildfires in Melaleuca areas),

Ø      changes in the seriousness of different pest plants over time,

Ø      the need to provide information that helps managers set priorities for control programs.

 

 

 

 

DEFINITIONS: Exotic—a species introduced to Florida, purposefully or accidentally, from a natural range outside of Florida.  Native—a species whose natural range included Florida at the time of European contact (1500 AD).  Naturalized exotic—an exotic that sustains itself outside cultivation (it is still exotic; it has not "become" native).  Invasive exotic—an exotic that not only has naturalized but is expanding on its own in Florida plant communities.

 

Abbreviations used: 

for "Gov. list": P = Prohibited by Fla. Dept. of Environmental Protection, N = Noxious weed listed by Fla. Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services, U = Noxious weed listed by U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

for "Reg. Dis.": N = north, C = central, S = south, referring to each species' current distribution in general regions of Florida (not its potential range in the state). See following map.

 

For additional information on distributions of particular species by county, visit the University of South Florida’s Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants web site, www.plantatlas.usf.edu.  Many of those species entries also have habit and close-up pictures of the species.  Additional images for some species may be found at the “Introduced Species” page on the Univ. of Florida Herbarium website at Fairchild Tropical Garden’s Virtual Herbarium . and at the University of Florida;s Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plant Website, http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/.  For other additional information on plants included in this list, see related links and pages at this web site on the home page menu.

 

 

Category I - Invasive exotics that are altering native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions, or hybridizing with natives. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused.

 

Scientific Name

Common Name

  EPPC

   Cat.

Gov.

list

Reg.

Dist.

Abrus precatorius

rosary pea

I

 

C, S

Acacia auriculiformis

earleaf acacia

I

 

S

Albizia julibrissin

mimosa, silk tree

I

 

N, C

Albizia lebbeck

woman's tongue

I

 

C, S

Ardisia crenata (= A.

    crenulata )

coral ardisia

I

 

N, C

Ardisia elliptica (=A.

   humilis)

shoebutton ardisia

I

 

S

Asparagus densiflorus

asparagus-fern

I

 

C, S

Bauhinia variegata

orchid tree

I

 

C, S

Bischofia javanica

bischofia

I

 

C, S

Calophyllum antillanum

   (=C. calaba;  C.

  inophyllum misapplied)

santa maria (names "mast wood," "Alexandrian laurel" used in cultivation)

I

 

S

Casuarina equisetifolia

Australian pine

I

P

N,C,S

Casuarina glauca

suckering Australian pine

I

P

C, S

Cinnamomum camphora

camphor-tree

I

 

N,C,S

Colocasia esculenta

wild taro

I

 

N,C,S

Colubrina asiatica

lather leaf

I

 

S

Cupaniopsis anacardioides

carrotwood

I

N

C, S

Dioscorea alata

winged yam

I

N

N,C,S

Dioscorea bulbifera

air-potato

I

N

N,C,S

Eichhornia crassipes

water-hyacinth

I

P

N,C,S

Eugenia uniflora

Surinam cherry

I

 

C, S

Ficus microcarpa (F.

 nitida and F. retusa var.

  nitida misapplied)

laurel fig

I

 

C, S

Hydrilla verticillata

hydrilla

I

P, U

N,C,S

Hygrophila polysperma

green hygro

I

P, U

N,C,S

Hymenachne amplexicaulis

West Indian marsh grass

I

 

C, S

Imperata cylindrica (I.

 brasiliensis misapplied)

cogon grass

I

N, U

N, C, S

Ipomoea aquatica

waterspinach

I

P, U

C

Jasminum dichotomum

Gold Coast jasmine

I

 

C, S

Jasminum fluminense

Brazilian jasmine

I

 

C, S

Lantana camara

lantana, shrub verbena

I

 

N,C,S

Ligustrum lucidum

glossy privet

I

 

N, C

Ligustrum sinense

Chinese privet, hedge privet

I

 

N,C,S

Lonicera japonica

Japanese honeysuckle

I

 

N,C,S

Lygodium japonicum

Japanese climbing fern

I

N

N,C, S

Lygodium microphyllum

Old World climbing fern

I

N

C, S

Macfadyena unguis-cati

cat's claw vine

I

 

N,C, S

Manilkara zapota

sapodilla

I

 

S

Melaleuca quinquenervia

melaleuca, paper bark

I

P, N, U

C, S

Melia azedarach

Chinaberry

I

 

N,C,S

Mimosa pigra

catclaw mimosa

I

P, N, U

C, S

Nandina domestica

nandina, heavenly bamboo

I

 

N

Nephrolepis cordifolia

sword fern

I

 

N,C,S

Nephrolepis multiflora

Asian sword fern

I

 

C, S

Neyraudia reynaudiana

Burma reed; cane grass

I

N

S

Paederia cruddasiana

sewer vine, onion vine

I

N

S

Paederia foetida

skunk vine

I

N

N,C,S

Panicum repens

torpedo grass

I

 

N,C,S

Pennisetum purpureum

Napier grass

I

 

C, S

Pistia stratiotes

waterlettuce

I

P

N,C,S

Psidium cattleianum

   (=P. littorale)

strawberry guava

I

 

C, S

Psidium guajava

guava

I

 

C, S

Pueraria montana (=P.

   lobata)

kudzu

I

N, U

N,C, S

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa

downy rose-myrtle

I

N

C, S

Rhoeo spathacea (see Tradescantia spathacea)

 

 

 

 

Ruellia brittoniana (may

    also be referred to R.

   tweediana)

Mexican petunia

I

 

N, C, S

Sapium sebiferum

popcorn tree, Chinese tallow tree

I