Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)

1. Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) Photo: www.emmitsburg.net Description:Shrub with small, straight thorns on stems; forms thick stands in forests. Small oval leaves ½ -1 ½ in. long. Leaves green or purple with smooth margins. Small yellow flowers in April-May. Plant turns brilliant red in fall. Bright red berries late fall & winter. Description: Aggressive plant that forms thickets 3-6 feet tall. Reddish stems are hollow and bamboo-like. Leaves alternate 3-6 inches long. White flowers in summer, often found growing along streams. Mile-a-Minute (Persicaria perfoliata) Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) Description: Perennial woody vine. Leaves are opposite, oval in shape. White flowers appear in late spring through early summer, often with yellow tinge. Small black fruits visible in fall. Photo: www.nps.gov Description: Herbaceous, prickly vine with light green, alternate, triangular leaves. Round, leafy structures surround stem at nodes. Flowers small and white, with deep blue fruits in fall.

2. Photos from www.duke.edu Photo: www.mdinvasivesp.org Photo: www.dkimages.com

3. Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) Russian olive (Eleagnus angustifolia) Description: Coarsely toothed leaves give off a garlicky smell when crushed. Grows quickly in early spring. Four-petaled, white flowers in spring; dies off by late June leaving elongate seedpods. Edible. Description: A small, thorny shrub or small tree. Leaves egg or lance-shaped with smooth margins, alternating along the stem. Flower and leaves covered with silvery scales. Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) Description: Woody stem, 4-10 feet high. Lance-shaped leaves, paired in whorls around stem. Many purple flowers from summer through fall. Typically found in open meadows and marsh areas. Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) Description: A thorny shrub with arching stems; climbs trees and other shrubs. Leaves divided in five to eleven sharply toothed leaflets. Fringedstipules (tiny leaf-like structures at base of leaf stems). White rose-like flowers appear in May. Photo: www.cwss-scm.ca

4. Photo: www.highriver.ca

5. Dames Rocket (Hespersis matronalis) Description: Flowers purple or white, visible in May and June. Often confused with wild phlox. Phloxes have 5 petals; Dames rocket has 4 petals. Alternate leaves are lance-like and toothed. Phlox leaves are smooth and opposite. Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculata) Description:Woody vine; often wraps around trees. Alternate, rounded leaves are finely toothed with small point at tip. Small, greenish flowers found where leaf meets the stem. Small red fruits in the fall. Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) Exotic Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) Photo: www.wmnu.edu Description: Tree. Can grow up to 80 ft tall. Each compound leaf has 11-25 smaller leaflets. Base of leaflet has small ‘whale tail.’ Also called stinking sumac for strong odor. Yellowish flowers bloom mid-June. Description:Shrub. Can grow up to 20 ft tall. Opposite leaves with oval leaflets. Flowers can be white to pink to red or yellow, depending on species. Stems typically hollow. Fruits red to orange.

7. Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa) Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) Description: 2-4 ft tall herb. Alternate, pale green leaves 1-3 in long. Purple, many-petaled flowers bloom from July through August. Prefers dry areas. Releases a toxin that reduces growth of other species. Description:Shrub or small tree. Broad, oval opposite and/or alternate leaves with jagged, toothed margins and arcuate veins. Twigs often tipped with thorn. Yellow-green flowers in spring. Photo: www.invasive.org Photo: www.nps.gov Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) Pale Swallowwort (Cynanchum rossowii) Description:Non-woody vine. Oval to lance-like, opposite leaves. Pink to brown, 5-petaled flowers. Fruits a smooth, slender, light green pod that forms in July and August. Photo: www.wikipedia.org Description: Large, deciduous tree. Twigs and leaves ooze milky sap when cut or torn. Leaves are wider than they are long with what looks like 7 lobes. Turn bright yellow in late fall. Fruit appears more linear than native maples, which have more sharply V-shaped fruit. Causes very thick shade beneath. Photo: www.nps.gov

8. Photos: www.nps.gov and www.swallow-wort.com Photo: www.colby-sawyer.edu Photo: www.co.stevens.wa.us Photo: www.sdstate.edu

9. Winged Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) Common reed (Phragmites australis) Description:Shrub often planted along roads and in gardens, because it turns bright red in the fall. Leaves 1-3” long, medium to dark green except in fall. Small yellow or green flowers in May or early June. Very obvious woody “wings” on stems. Description:Tall grass found in marsh areas. Often over 10-12’ tall. Sometimes described as ‘really tall wheat’– has feathery flower heads that sway in wind, similar to what can be seen in wheat fields. Water chestnut (Trapa natans) Description:Aquatic floating plant found in quiet, freshwater parts of the Hudson River. Leafs out in mid-summer creating thick beds of vegetation. Distinctive black seeds with spikes are found on most shorelines in the region.

10. Woody “wings” on stem