UF/IFAS
Okeechobee County Extension Service
458 Highway 98 North
Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578
Phone: (863) 763-6469
E- mail: asachson@ifas.ufl.edu
October 6, 2008
| Quick Links: Invasive Plant lists Managing Aliens References |
Feature
Article - for release October 8, 2008
Angela
Gotcha!!
Flesh-eating plants are no match for the alien
HABITAT
EATERS
You probably recall
the people-eating plant of the Little Shop of Horrors.
And, of course there are the Venus fly trap and
Pitcher plant that trap insects and devour them.
But much more frightening are the INVASIVE ALIENS!
These DEADLY KILLERS invade our landscapes and
kill native plants in their paths.
The result is loss of plant life, disappearance
of native wildlife, increased threat of fire, and loss
of precious biodiversity.
According
to the Florida Exotic
Pest Plant Council (EPPC) invasive exotic pest
plants are biological pollutants. Menacing exotics may
be responsible for destroying more natural habitat each
year than is destroyed through land development.
Most
often these invasive aliens, also called exotics, (i.e.,
not from here) have been imported from other
countries or even other parts of our country.
Some
came in accidentally in agricultural or freight
shipments. Others
were deliberately imported by unknowing entrepreneurs or
even government agencies.
Kudzu – known as “the plant that ate
the South” - was imported to control soil erosion in
Dixie. It is
now said that if you stand still it, will grow over you
in minutes.
Many
of these aliens were brought here before there were
concerns or regulations about such plants. But now we
know that when plants are introduced to a new location,
they come without the native climate, diseases or insect
pests that kept them under control. With no natural
enemies, they can just keep growing and reproducing,
displacing our natives and disrupting natural
communities.
Most of the
25,000 or so species of plants that have been brought
into
Florida
are relatively harmless. We depend on some of these
species for our sustenance and economy.
Citrus, for example, is not a native Florida
plant but originated in Southeast Asia.
How to determine which
plants are the bad guys.
There are lots of
plant lists, including lists of which plants are a
“little invasive” and which are more invasive and
which are most invasive.
All of these lists make it hard to know just what
not to plant.
Here are the facts.
Some
plants are considered so invasive that they have been
legally outlawed. In
our state three agencies can make that determination.
They are the US Department of Agriculture (USDA),
the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
and the Florida Department of Agriculture.
Their rules are stated in these terms--"Under
no circumstances will this species be permitted for
possession, collection, transportation, cultivation, and
importation.” These are plants we hear of often
like Brazilian Pepper, Melaleuca, and Water Hyacinth.
You can’t purchase them even though they may
end up in your yard.
Seeds
from invasive plants can be spread by wind (e.g., Old
World Climbing Fern), by water (Melaleuca trees), or by
wildlife that eat the fruit and deposit the seeds far
from the original place (Brazilian pepper – adored by
robins). Others spread from expanding underground root
systems (Australian pine and Erect sword fern).
Many
plants are considered invasive aliens but they have not
been outlawed. These
are plants which may not have escaped into wild habitats
- YET. Two
agencies provide excellent information about those
plants; they are the University of Florida (http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/invplant.html)
and
the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (http://www.fleppc.org/index.cfm
).
These
lists classify plants according to level of expansion
and also by area of Florida.
You may be surprised to find some old familiars
listed there, like Wedelia, Surinam Cherry, Lantana and
Asparagus Fern.
Next
time you want to plant something, look it up on these
websites. You
may save yourself some time battling these fast
spreaders and habitat killers.
What
to do? It
will take all of us to battle this increasing threat to
biodiversity and here are some things to do right now.
1. Learn to recognize plants on the invasive
species list. Check
out references with photos of Florida invasive plants
(e.g. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/photos.html
). Chances
are you've seen quite a few of these plants. Ask us for
some other suggested titles.
2. Start
at home. Many invasive exotic plants are unknowingly
planted and maintained in our landscapes. Identify these
plants, remove these offensive weeds (or at least remove
any fruits), and replace with more appropriate plants
instead. Consider
using true
3. Spread the word (not the weed).
Tell others about this threat and encourage them
to avoid invasive weeds too!
I’ve
placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.
If you need additional information on Invasive
Exotic Pest Plants or the Florida Yards &
Neighborhoods Program, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu
or call us at 863-763-6469.
Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy
98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County
Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons.
Go
Gators!
-30-
Trade
names, where used, are given for the purpose of
providing specific information. They do not constitute
an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does
it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida
Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences is an equal
opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to
provide research, educational information, and other
services to individuals and institutions that function
without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or
national origin.