Alternatives to Invasive Exotics—Resources
Organic Growers School, March 2011
Debbie Green, dxgree@wm.edu, Buncombe County Master Gardener
Background Definitions and Information:
Invasive Species:
“1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and
2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental
harm or harm to human health.”
Executive Order 13112, February 1999.
Native Plants:
One that “occurs naturally in a particular region, state, ecosystem and habitat
without direct or indirect human actions.”
Plant Conservation Alliance
Those plants “native to the EPA Level III ecoregion of the site or known to
naturally occur within 200 miles of the site. Naturally occurring hybrids,
varieties, and cultivars of species native to the ecoregion are acceptable.”
Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines
Native Plant Communities:
“are plant species, composition, and structure typical of communities native to
the EPA Level III ecoregion or known to naturally occur within 200 miles of the
site… Native plant communities include (but are not limited to) wetlands,
grasslands, riparian buffers, and habitat for wildlife species of concern within the
region.”
Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines
Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines Related to Vegetation:
Prerequisite 1.4: Preserve threatened or endangered species and their habitats
Prerequisite 4.1: Control and manage known invasive plants found on site
Credit 4.5: Preserve all vegetation designated as special status
Credit 4.6: Preserve or restore appropriate plant biomass on site
Credit 4.8: Preserve plant communities native to the ecoregion
Credit 4.9: Restore plant communities native to the ecoregion
Plant Characteristics Comparisons:
Function in the Landscape
Cultural needs
Shape/Size
Deciduous/Evergreen
Season(s) of interest
Flowers
Color
Shape/Size
Bloom time
Foliage
Color
Form/Texture
Fruit
Color
Size
Season/Persistence
Useful Books:
Armitage, Allan M. Armitage’s Native Plants for North American Gardens. Timber
Press, 2006.
Burrell, C. Colston. Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants. Brooklyn Botanic Garden,
2006.
Dunne, Niall. Great Natives for Tough Places. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2009.
Foote, Leonard E., and Samuel B. Jones. Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the
Southeast. Timber Press, 2005.
Greenlee, John. The American Meadow Garden: Creating a Natural Alternative to the
Traditional Lawn. Timber Press, 2009.
Hunter, Margie. Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee: The Spirit of Place.
University of Tennessee Press, 2003.
Kirkman, L. Katherine. Native Trees of the Southeast: An Identification Guide. Timber
Press, 2007.
Porcher, Richard D., and Douglas A. Rayner. A Guide to the Wildflowers of South
Carolina. University of South Carolina Press, 2001.
Sawyers, Claire E. The Authentic Garden: Five Principles for Cultivating a Sense of
Place. Timber Press, 2007.
Sternberg, Guy, and James W. Wilson. Native Trees for North American Landscapes.
Timber Press, 2004.
Summers, Carolyn. Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East. Rutgers
University Press, 2010.
Tallamy, Douglas W. Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with
Native Plants. Timber Press, 2009.
Wasowski, Sally (& Andy Wasowski). Gardening with Native Plants of the South.
Taylor, Reprint 2009.
Wells, B. W. The Natural Gardens of North Carolina. University of North Carolina
Press, 2002.
Web Resources:
Asheville Botanical Garden: Ihttp://www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org/
North Carolina Arboretum: http://www.ncarboretum.org/
North Carolina Native Plant Society: http://www.ncwildflower.org/
North Carolina Natural Heritage Program: http://www.ncnhp.org/
Native & Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas: http://www.namethatplant.net/
Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council: http://www.se-eppc.org/
Alternatives to Ornamental Invasive Plants: http://suffolklamp.cit.cornell.edu/assets/galleries/Agriculture/Commercial-Nursery-andLandscape-Management/Presentation-Handouts/10-09-FINALBrochure-List-ofAlternatives.pdf
Breeding for Non-invasive Landscape Plants:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/nursery/short/2005_short_cs/breeding_n
oninvasive.htm
Center for Plant Conservation: http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: wildflower.org/plants
Mistaken Identity? Invasive Plants and their Native Look-alikes: An
Identification Guide for the Mid-Atlantic
http://www.nybg.org/files/scientists/rnaczi/Mistaken_Identity_Final.pdf
Plant Conservation Alliance: http://www.nps.gov/plants/index.htm
PlantNative: http://plantnative.org/
Sustainable Sites Initiative: Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks
2009:
http://www.sustainablesites.org/report/Guidelines%20and%20Performance%2
0Benchmarks_2009.pdf
USDA Forest Service Climate Change Atlas: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/atlas/
USDA PLANTS Database: http://plants.usda.gov
Why Should I Care about Invasive Plants?:
http://www.mipn.org/InvasivesBrochure.pdf
North Carolina DO NOT PLANT List
Native Alternatives
Exotic Trees
Native Trees
Mimosa
Albizia julibrissin
Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Princess Tree
Paulownia tomentosa
Catalpa
Catalpa speciosa
Bradford Pear
Pyrus calleryana
Serviceberry
Amelanchier species
Exotic Shrubs
Native Shrubs
Japanese Barberry
Berberis thunbergii
Ninebark
Autumn/Russian/Thorny/Olive
Eleagnus umbellate/angustifolia/pungens Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Bicolor Lespedeza
Lespedeza bicolor
Indigo Bush
Amorpha fruticosa
Japanese/Chinese/Common/Privet
Ligustrum japonicum/sinense/vulgare
Inkberry
Ilex glabra
Oregon Grape
Mahonia bealei
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Multiflora Rose
Rosa multiflora
Carolina Rose
Rosa carolina
Exotic Vines
Physocarpus opulifolious
Native Vines
Porcelainberry
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata
Heartleaf peppervine
Ampelopsis cordata
Oriental Bittersweet
Celastrus orbiculatus
American Bittersweet
Celastrus scandens
Sweet Autumn Virginsbower
Clematis cuspidatum
Virgin’s Bower
Clematis virginiana
Winter Creeper
Euonymus fortunei
Bearberry
Arctostphylas uva-ursi
English Ivy
Hedera helix
Allegheny Spurge
Pachysandra procumbens
Cypress Vine
Ipomoea quamoclit
Scarlet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Japanese Honeysuckle
Lonicera japonica
Yellow Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Kudzu
Pueraria lobata
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Wisteria sinensis/Wisteria floribunda
American Wisteria
Chinese Wisteria/Japanese Wisteria
Exotic Plants
Wisteria frutescens
Native Plants
Queen Anne's Lace
Daucus carota
Hairy Angelica
Angelica venenosa
Cogongrass
Imperata cylindrica
Red Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Chinese Silvergrass
Miscanthus sinensis
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Japanese Knotweed
Polygonum cuspidatum
Goatsbeard
Aruncus dioicus
Johnson Grass
Sorghum halepense
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Adapted from: Going Native: Urban Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants (http://www.ncsu.edu/goingnative/) and
Tennessee’s Native Plant Alternatives to Exotic Invasives: (http://www.tneppc.org/Landscaping/Native_Substitutes.pdf)
TREES
Aesculus octandra
Yellow buckeye
Aesculus pavia
Red buckeye
Amelanchier laevis
Serviceberry
Betula lenta
Cherry birch
Carya ovata
Shagbark hickory
Catalpa speciosa
Northern Catalpa
Cercis Canadensis
Eastern redbud
Chionanthus virginicus
Fringe tree
Halesia caroliniana
Silverbell
Liriodendron tulipifera
Tulip tree/Yellow poplar
Magnolia acuminata
Cucumber tree
Oxydendrum arboreum
Sourwood
Prunus serotina
Black cherry
Querus marilandica
Blackjack oak
Tsuga caroliniana
Carolina hemlock
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
Yellow-root
SHRUBS
Amorpha fructicosa
Indigo bush
Aronia arbutifolia
Red chokeberry
Callicarpa Americana
American beautyberry
Calycanthus floridus
Sweet-shrub
Ceanothus americanus
New Jersey tea
Ilex glabra
Inkberry
Lindera benzoin
Spicebush
Physocarpus opulifolius
Ninebark
Rhododendron maximum
Rosebay Rhododendron
Rhododendron calendulaceum
Flame azalea
Rhododendron periclymenoides
Wild azalea
Robinia kelseyi
Kelsey locust
Rosa Carolina
Carolina rose
Spirea latifolia
Meadowsweet
Vaccineum species
Deerberry Lowbush Highbush
Viburnum dentatum; V. nudum
Arrowwood
Possumhaw
HERBACEOUS
Angelica venenosa
Hairy Angelica
Aruncus dioicus
Goatsbeard
Asclepias tuberosa; A. incarnate
Butterflyweed; Swamp milkweed
Asplenium platyneuron
Ebony spleenwort
Chelone glabra
Turtlehead
Chrysogonum viginianum
Green and Gold
Coreopsis major
Coreopsis
Echinacea purpurea
Easter purple coneflower
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Boneset
Impatiens capensis
Jewel-weed
Muhlenbergia capillaries
Pink Muhly grass
Oenothera fruticosa
Sundrops
Pachysandra procumbens
Allegheny spurge
Panicum virgatum
Switchgrass
Solidago species
Goldenrods
Thelypteris palustris
Marsh fern