Massachusetts invasive species

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We moved into a new house last fall, and it looks like the backyard had been basically ignored for at least 10 years. And so half the plants are invasive species.

The back yard is on a pretty steep slope and is really rocky, and I've decided that I'm going to focus on the invasive species, and not worry too much about regular weeds.

The official Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group list is here

The list of Prohibited Plants in Massachusetts (which is much longer than the Invasive Plant Advisory Group list, maybe because some of these plants threaten cash crops?)

There is a Mass Audobon illustrated guide here, though it’s hard to figure out how they picked this particular group of 34 plants. It seems to be focused on things you might find in your backyard, and excluded almost all of the aquatic invasives.

This Brooklyn Botanical Garden Weed of the Month blog has some great illustrations, though most of the weeds they feature are not technically invasive.

Here’s my checklist of what I’ve found in my yard (based on the Invasive Plant Advisory Group list), with everything I've found in our backyard bolded. With an asterisk if it a MA prohibited plant.

I'm going to update this list as I identify plants.

As an aside, how cool are plant common names?

Invasive

*Norway maple (Acer platanoides)

*Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus)

*Bishop’s goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria)

*Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)

*Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

*Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii)

*Carolina fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana)

*Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

*Louise’s swallow-wort (Cynanchum louiseae)

*Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)

*Burning bush (Euonymus alatus)

*Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula)

*European buckthorn (Frangula alnus)

*Yellow hornpoppy (Glaucium flavum)

*Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis)

*Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus)

*Broad-leaved pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium)

*Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

*Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii)

*Bell’s honeysuckle (Lonicera x bella [morrowii x tatarica])

*Creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)

*Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

*Two-leaved water-milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum)

*Spike water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)

*Reed canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea)

*Common reed (Phragmites australis)

*Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum / Fallopia japonica)

*Mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum)

*Curly pondweed (Potamogeton crispus)

*Fig buttercup (Ranunculus ficaria)

*Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

*Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

*Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora)

*Large Gray Willow (Salix atrocinerea)

*Rusty Willow (Salix cinerea)

*Water-chestnut (Trapa natans)

 
Likely Invasive

Hardy kiwi (Actinidia arguta)

*Porcelain-berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata)

*Wild chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris)

*European barberry (Berberis vulgaris)

*Flowering rush (Butomnus umbellatus)

*Bushy rock-cress (Cardamine impatiens)

*Spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii)

*European swallow-wort (Cynanchum rossicum)

*Brazilian water weed (Egeria densa)

*Hairy willow herb (Epilobium hirsutum)

*Cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias)

*Fineleaf sheep fescue (Festuca filiformis)

*Tall mannagrass (Glyceria maxima)

*Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)

*Japanese hops (Humulus japonicus)

*Water-thyme (Hydrilla verticillata)

*Border privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium)

*Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)

*Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum)

*Plume grass (Miscanthus sacchariflorus)

*Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides)

*Brazilian water-milfoil (Myriophyllum aquaticum)

*Brittle water-nymph (Najas minor)

*Yellow floating heart (Nymphoides peltata)

*Amur cork-tree (Phellodendron amurense)


*Kudzu (Pueraria montana)

*Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens)

*Water yellowcress (Rorippa amphibia)

*Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius)

*Stinking Willie (Senecio jacobaea)

*Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)


Potentially Invasive

*Hairy joint grass (Arthraxon hispidus)

*Japanese sedge (Carex kobomugi)

*Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)

 
Do not list at this time

Chocolate vine (Akebia quinata)

False indigo-bush (Amorpha fruticosa)

Northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)

Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius)

Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)

European spindletree (Euonymus europaeus)

Climbing spindletree (Euonymus fortunei)

Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina)

California privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium)

Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense)

European privet (Ligustrum vulgare L.)

Dwarf honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum)

Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis)

White mulberry (Morus alba)

Giant knotweed (Polygonum sachalinense)

White poplar (Populus alba)

Onerow yellowcress (Rorippa microphylla)

Watercress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum)

Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa)

Witch's moneybags (Sedum telephium ssp. telephium)

Flannel mullein (Verbascum thapsus)