CATEGORY | COMMON & SCIENTIFIC NAME | THREAT LEVEL | NOTES |
Trees | Chinaberry Melia azedarach | Severe | Spreads rapidly, produces poisonous yellow berries |
| Tree of heaven Ailanthus altissima | Severe | Competes through chemical warfare |
| Tallow/popcorn tree Triadica sebifera | Severe | Produces lots of seeds, takes over ecosystem |
| Princesstree Paulownia tomentosa | Severe | Grows quickly, displaces native plants |
| Callery or Bradford pear Pyrus calleryana | Significant | Spreads rapidly and outcompetes native plants |
| Mimosa Albizia julibrissin | Significant | Invades disturbed area, spreads rapidly, can harm animals |
| Paper mulberry Broussonetia papyrifera | Significant | Grows rapidly, displaces native plants by forming dense thickets |
| Chinese/European privet Ligustrum sinesis | Severe | Forms dense thickets that crowd out native plants, can harm wildlife |
Shrubs | Autumn olive Elaeagnus umbellata | Severe | Outcompetes native plants, alters soil chemistry |
| Lespedeza/bush clover Lespedeza bicolor | Severe | Crowds out native plants, reduces biodiversity |
| Nandina/Sacred bamboo Nandina domestica | Significant | Displaces native plants, poisonous to humans, pets, and wildlife |
| Scotch or English broom Cytisus scoparius | Severe | Produces lots of seeds that remain viable in the soil for years, outcompetes native plants |
Vines | English ivy Hedera helix | Severe | Spreads quickly, outcompetes native plants, damages trees |
| Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera japonica | Significant | Grows quickly, shades out native plants, destroys their food source |
| Kudzu Pueraria montana | Severe | Outcompetes native plants, inhibits tree renewal, reduces food and habitat for wildlife |
| Bigleaf periwinkle Vinca major | Severe | Spreads quickly, crowds out native plants |
| Chinese wisteria Wisteria sinensis | Severe | Grows quickly, strangles trees, displaces native plants |
| Japanese climbing fern Lygodium japonicum | Severe | Forms dense mats that shade out native plants, fire risk |
Grasses | Giant reed Arundo donax | Significant | Crowds out native plants, uses excessive water |
| Tall fescue Festuca arundinacea | Significant | Outcompetes native plants, alters ecosystems, releases toxic substances |
| Chinese silvergrass Miscanthus sinensis | Severe | Spreads quickly, displaces native plants, highly flammable |
| Bamboo Phyliostachys aurea |
| Grows quickly, creates dense thickets, hard to eradicate (clumping bamboo species are not considered invasive) |
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