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The Worst Invasives in the New York Metropolitan Area
The following list is broken down into three categories, based on degree of invasiveness. It includes both plant species that were introduced intentionally, for horticultural use, and those that arrived unintentionally. For more information on the plants used horticulturally, see the Brooklyn Botanic Garden handbook Invasive Plants: Weeds of the Global Garden.
Category 1: Invasive Species
These plants are clearly invasive in the New York metropolitan area.
Category 2: Potentially Invasive Species
These plants are reproducing in the wild, but more monitoring is required to determine how invasive these plants are in the New York metropolitan region.
Category 3: Watch Species
These plants are found in the wild but currently do not appear to be invasive in the New York metropolitan area. However, they are invasive in other regions and therefore are considered species to watch.
Sorted by botanical name | Click here to view lists sorted by common name
Category 1
| Botanical Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Acer platanoides | Norway maple |
| Acer pseudo-platanoides | Sycamore maple |
| Ailanthus altissima | Tree-of-heaven |
| Alliaria petiolata | Garlic mustard |
| Ampelopsis brevipedicularis | Porcelainberry |
| Berberis thunbergii | Japanese barberry |
| Celastrus orbiculatus | Oriental bittersweet |
| Elaeagnus umbellata | Autumn olive (view image) |
| Lespedeza cuneata | Chinese lespedeza |
| Ligustrum obtusifolium | Amur river privet |
| Lonicera japonica | Japanese honeysuckle |
| Lonicera maackii | Amur honeysuckle |
| Lonicera morrowii | Fly honeysuckle |
| Lythrum salicaria | Purple loosestrife |
| Microstegium vimineum | Japanese stilt grass |
| Myriophyllum spicatum | Eurasian water-milfoil |
| Phragmites communis | Phragmites |
| Polygonum cuspidatum | Japanese knotweed |
| Polygonum perfoliatum | Mile-a-minute-weed |
| Rhamnus cathartica | Common buckthorn |
| Rhamnus frangula | Smooth buckthorn |
| Rosa multiflora | Multiflora rose (view image) |
| Rosa rugosa | Beach rose |
| Rubus phoenicolasius | Wineberry |
| Trapa natans | Water chestnut |
Category 2
| Botanical Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Aegopodium podagraria | Goutweed |
| Akebia quinata | Fiveleaf akebia |
| Albizia julibrissin | Silk tree (view image) |
| Allium vineale | Wild garlic |
| Bromus inermis | Smooth brome |
| Cardamine impatiens | Bushy rock rose |
| Centaurea maculosa | Spotted knapweed |
| Chelidonium majus | Celandine |
| Cichorium intybus | Chicory |
| Circium arvense | Canada-thistle |
| Circium palustre | European swamp thistle |
| Circium vulgare | Bull thistle |
| Coronilla varia | Crown vetch |
| Dactylus glomerata | Orchard grass |
| Daucus carota | Queen Anne's lace |
| Dipsacus species | Teasel |
| Egeria densa | Brazilian water-weed |
| Eragrostis curvula | African weeping lovegrass |
| Euonymus alatus | Winged euonymus |
| Euphorbia escula | Leafy spurge |
| Festuca elatior | Tall fescue |
| Festuca pratensis | Meadow fescue |
| Hedera helix | English Ivy |
| Hemerocallis fulva | Daylily |
| Hesperis matronalis | Dame's rocket |
| Holcus lanatus | Common velvet grass |
| Humulus japonica | Japanese hops |
| Hypericum perforatum | St. John's wort |
| Hypochaeris radicata | Cat's ear |
| Ilex crenata | Japanese holly |
| Iris pseudacorus | Yellow Iris |
| Leonurus cardiaca | Motherwort |
| Lespedeza striata | Japanese clover |
| Leucanthemum vulgare | White daisy |
| Ligustrum vulgare | European privet |
| Lonicera tartarica | Tartarian honeysuckle |
| Lotus corniculatus | Bird's foot trefoil |
| Lysimacia nummularia | Moneywort |
| Malus species | Crabapple |
| Melilotus alba | White sweet clover |
| Melilotus officinalis | Yellow sweet clover |
| Morus alba | White mulberry |
| Myosotis scorpioides | Forget-me-not |
| Najas minor | Naiad |
| Nasturtium officinale | Watercress |
| Pastanaca sativa | Wild parsnip |
| Paulownia tomentosa | Princess tree (view image) |
| Phellodendron amurense | Amur cork tree |
| Phellodendron japonicum | Japanese cork-tree |
| Phleum pratense | Timothy |
| Pinus thunbergii | Japanese black pine |
| Poa annua | Annual wildgrass |
| Poa compressa | Wiregrass |
| Poa pratensis | Kentucky bluegrass |
| Populus alba | White poplar |
| Potamogeton crispus | Curly pondweed |
| Prunus avium | Sweet cherry |
| Pueraria lobata | Kudzu |
| Robinia pseudoacacia | Black locust |
| Rudbeckia hirta | Black-eyed susan |
| Saponaria officinale | Soapwood |
| Sorghum halepense | Johnson grass |
| Tussilago farfara | Coltsfoot |
| Viburnum dilataum | Linden viburnum |
| Viburnum setigerum | Tea viburnum |
| Vinca minor | Greater periwinkle |
| Vincetoxicum nigrum | Black swallow wort |
| Vincetoxicum rossicum | Dog-strangling vine |
| Virburnum sieboldii | Siebold viburnum |
| Wisteria species | Wisteria (view image) |
Category 3
| Botanical Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Acer ginnala | Amur maple |
| Alnus glutinosa | European alder |
| Broussonetia papyrifera | Paper mulberry |
| Buddleia davidii | Butterfly bush |
| Crataegus monogyna | English hawthorn |
| Cytisus scoparius | Scotch broom |
| Eichhornia crassipes | Water hyacinth |
| Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian olive |
| Euonymys fortunei | Wintercreeper |
| Ficus carica | Fig |
| Maclura pomifera | Osage orange |
| Picea abies | Norway spruce |
| Pinus nigra | Austrian pine |
| Pinus sylvestris | Scotch pine |
| Pistia stratiotes | Water lettuce |
| Poncirus trifoliata | Trifoliate orange |
| Potentilla recta | Cinquefoil |
| Prunus cerasus | Sour cherry |
| Prunus domestica | Plum |
| Prunus mahaleb | Mahaleb |
| Prunus persica | Peach |
| Pyrus calleryana | Callery pear |
| Pyrus communis | Pear |
| Quercus robur | English oak |
| Salix alba | White willow |
| Salix fragilis | Crack willow |
| Tamarix ramosissima | Tamarisk |
| Ulmus pumila | Siberian elm |
| Vinca major | Greater periwinkle |