Invasive species

What is an invasive species?

Invasive species are exotic (not naturally occurring) plants or animals that displace native species. They are introduced into areas either on purpose for domestication or gardening or on accidentally from global trade and travel. For example, many invasive plants were brought to the are as garden plants or for animal forage. Throughout the Pensacola and surrounding area invasive species are widespread and negatively affecting our community. More information about invasive species ca be found here (invasive.org).

Why are invasive species bad?

Invasive species harm natural areas and the local economy. They displace native species, clog waterways, harm forestry and agricultural lands, and threaten human health. Invasive plants are one of the leading threats to global biodiversity. For example, feral hogs (Sus scrofa) are some of the most destructive invasive species in the area destroying acres of the few remaining pristine wetland habitats we have. Every year Florida spends hundreds of millions of dollars to control them and will continue to spend vast amounts of money to control them in the future. Invasive species are a threat to our community and the ecosystem.

How can I control invasive species?

Invasive species can be controlled by numerous methods including mechanical removal of plants, chemical application, biological controls and a mixture thereof. However, the best way to control invasive species is to prevention. More information about the eradication of invasive plant species with the Pensacola area can be found here (https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/).

Invasive plants in the Pensacola area

There are many invasive species in the Pensacola area. Many of the worst invasive species in the area are plants. A full list of invasive plant species is provided below with the most prevalent and destructive species presented in bold. Each species is assigned a Category level of I or II (documented as harmful or suspected harmful to native ecosystems) based on the Florida Exotic Plant Pest Council’s definitions.

Table 1. Invasive species common within

Scientific Name	Common Name	Category
Albizia julibrissin	mimosa, silk tree	I
Alternanthera philoxeroides	alligatorweed	II
Antigonon leptopus	coral vine	II
*Ardisia crenata*	coral ardisia	I
Ardisia japonica	Japanese ardisia	II
Asparagus aethiopicus	asparagus fern	I
Begonia cucullata	wax begonia	II
Broussonetia papyrifera	paper mulberry	II
Cenchrus purpureus	elephantgrass, Napier grass	I
*Cinnamomum camphora*	camphor-tree	I
*Clematis terniflora*	Japanese clematis	II
*Colocasia esculenta*	wild taro	I
Cyperus involucratus	umbrella plant	II
Dactyloctenium aegyptium	Durban crow's-foot grass	II
Deparia petersenii	Japanese false spleenwort	I
Dioscorea alata	winged yam	I
Dioscorea bulbifera	air potato	I
Dolichandra unguis-cati	cat's-claw vine	I
*Eichhornia crassipes*	water-hyacinth	I
Elaeagnus pungens	silverthorn, thorny olive	II
*Hydrilla verticillata*	hydrilla	I
Hygrophila polysperma	green hygro	I
*Imperata cylindrica*	cogongrass	I
Kalanchoe x houghtonii	mother of millions	II
Koelreuteria elegans subsp. formosana	flamegold tree	II
Landoltia punctata	spotted duckweed	II
Lantana strigocamara	lantana, shrub verbena	I
Leucaena leucocephala	leadtree	II
Ligustrum lucidum	glossy privet	I
*Ligustrum sinense*	Chinese privet	I
Limnophila sessiliflora	Asian marshweed	II
Lonicera japonica	Japanese honeysuckle	I
Ludwigia peruviana	Peruvian primrosewillow	I
*Lygodium japonicum*	Japanese climbing fern	I
Macroptilium lathyroides	wild bushbean	II
*Melia azedarach*	Chinaberry	II
Momordica charantia	balsam-apple	II
Myriophyllum spicatum	Eurasian water-milfoil	II
Nandina domestica	heavenly bamboo, nandina	I
Nephrolepis cordifolia	sword fern	I
Paederia foetida	skunk vine	I
*Panicum repens*	torpedograss	I
Phyllostachys aurea	golden bamboo	II
Pistia stratiotes	water-lettuce	I
Pteris vittata	Chinese brake, ladder brake	II
*Pueraria montana* var. lobata	kudzu	I
Richardia grandiflora	largeflower Mexican clover	II
Ricinus communis	castorbean	II
Ruellia simplex	Mexican petunia	I
Salvinia minima	water spangles	I
Sesbania punicea	rattlebox	II
Sphagneticola trilobata	wedelia	II
Syngonium podophyllum	arrowhead vine	I
Tradescantia fluminensis	small-leaf spiderwort	I
*Triadica sebifera*	Chinese tallow-tree	I
Tribulus cistoides	puncture vine, burr-nut	II
Urena lobata	Caesar's weed	I
Urochloa maxima	Guineagrass	II
Urochloa mutica	paragrass	I
Vernicia fordii	tung-oil tree	II
*Vitex rotundifolia*	beach vitex	I
*Wisteria sinensis*	Chinese wisteria	II
Xanthosoma sagittifolium	malanga, elephant ear	II