Native and Invasive Plants

1. Native and Invasive Plants • Advantages of using native plants • Best adapted to local conditions • Nativeplants = plants that evolved in local area • Species available for all local soil and light conditions • Provide habitat for native wildlife • Perennials; do not need to plant each year • Reduces need for herbicides, fertilizers and irrigation • Part of local heritage • “Wherever I go in America, I like it when the land speaks its own language in its own regional accent” -- ‘Ladybird Johnson, 1993

2. Native and Invasive Plants • Some native plants in woodland garden

3. Native and Invasive Plants • Some native plants in woodland garden

4. Native and Invasive Plants • Some native plants in woodland garden

5. Native and Invasive Plants • Susceptible to new and introduced diseases • American elms killed by Dutch Elm Disease (fungus) • Native plants not without problems • Flowering dogwood killed by dogwood anthracnose (fungus)

6. Native and Invasive Plants • Can be overgrown by invasive plants • Invasive plants = plants that become established in natural ecosystems and threaten survival of native species • Native plants not without problems • Official U.S. definitions provided in Executive Order signed by President Clinton in 1999: • "Invasive species" means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health

7. Native and Invasive Plants • May be introduced accidentally on horticultural stock, in agricultural seeds, or attached to domestic animals • Invasive plants • Introduced intentionally • Wildlife food • Erosion control • Ornamentals for landscaping

8. Native and Invasive Plants • Amur honeysuckle • Native of Asia planted as food for wildlife • Invasive plants of New York State • Opposite, simple leaves with trumpet-shaped flowers • Bird eat berries and disperse seed in fall • Invasive in woodlands, particularly along forest-field edges

9. Native and Invasive Plants • Purple loosestrife • Herbaceous perennial that can be 2-6’ tall • Invasive plants of New York State • Small, attractive flowers on long stem • Introduced as ornamental plant • Invades wet areas and shallow water; crowds out natives • Two beetles being introduced from Europe to act as biological control agents

10. Native and Invasive Plants • Multiflora rose • Thorny bramble with many white flowers • Invasive plants of New York State • Introduced from Japan as root stock for cultivated roses and used by U.S. government for soil conservation • Infests 45 million acres of pastures in eastern U.S. • High reproductive potential: 500,000 seeds/plant (viable 10-20 years); fruit dispersed by birds

11. Native and Invasive Plants • Japanese Barberry • Dense thorny shrub with attractive leaves and berries • Invasive plants of New York State • Introduced as ornamental (great living fence); invades pastures and open forests • Reproduces by seeds, rhizomes, and layering • Widely used on Hartwick’s campus

12. Native and Invasive Plants • Spotted Knapweed • Colonizes disturbed areas (e.g. roadways) and fields • Invasive plants of New York State • Produces chemical that retards root growth of nearby plants • Herbaceous biennial 1-3’ tall with silvery green leaves and thistle-like flower • Accidentally introduced on alfalfa shipments in 1800s • Plants produce 25,000 seeds (viable for 10 years)

13. Native and Invasive Plants • Eurasian Milfoil • Attractive, underwater plant with feather-like leaves • Invasive plants of New York State • Introduced from Europe in late 1800s (probably as fragmented stems on ship) • Forms dense mats; decomposition of milfoil causes low O2, high P and N • Difficult to control; costs some states millions of dollars annually

14. Native and Invasive Plants • Garlic mustard • Biennial herbaceous plant with white flowers on 2-4’ stems • Invasive plants of New York State • Infests partially shaded, moist habitats (e.g. forest edges) • Introduced by European settlers as vegetable; greens produced early in Spring (high in Vitamin C) • Each plant produces 200-1,000 seeds; grows in dense stands