Native and naturalized plants
Native and naturalized plants of the Carolinas and Georgia, eastern Tennessee and northern Florida

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Invasive Species

The term "native" is used to describe plants that were growing here before the arrival of Europeans. Exotics, or aliens, are those that do not naturally occur in an area but have been introduced by people.

Many exotic species pose no threat, but some are invasive and grow out of control — displacing native plants which provide food and shelter for an assortment of native wildlife. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to predict if or when a species will become a pest plant (for example, Japanese honeysuckle was planted as an ornamental for 80 years before it escaped cultivation!), but a red flag should run up at any non-native with fleshy fruits dispersed by birds.

NameThatPlant.net attempts to make the viewer aware of species which have been found to cause problems in natural areas of the Southeast by labeling that plant as INVASIVE. Some of these plants are a greater threat than others (for more information, explore the links below) but we recommend that they not be planted, expecially near a natural area.

To see a partial list of plants considered to be invasive by

and sort the results of this query

For more information, see the US Fish & Wildlife handout "Invasive Plants in Our Backyards," download the brochure "Invasive Plant Pest Species of South Carolina,"

and visit these websites:

Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council
www.se-eppc.org

Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual — SE-EPPC
www.invasive.org/eastern/eppc/

Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council
www.fleppc.org

Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council
www.gaeppc.org

Invasive Exotic Plants of North Carolina
Download a PDF of an 185-page manual compiled by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

North Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council
www.se-eppc.org/northcarolina/

South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council
www.se-eppc.org/southcarolina/

Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council
www.tneppc.org

Cogongrass, one of the top ten noxious weeds in the world
www.cofc.edu/~everettj/cogongrass.html

Cogongrass in South Carolina
www.clemson.edu/for/cogongrass

Plant Conservation Alliance: Weeds Gone Wild
www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service
www.invasive.org/eastern/
www.invasive.org/weeds/

US Fish & Wildlife Service
www.fws.gov/invasives/

WeedUS
A database of plants invading natural areas in the United States.
www.invasive.org/weedus/index.html

Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Fact Sheets
www.nps.gov/plants/alien/factmain.htm