Invasive Plants of Massachusetts

Invasive Plants of Massachusetts

What are Invasive Plants?

Invasive plants are non-native plants that are capable of aggressively invading natural areas and displacing native vegetation. They generally lack predators and parasites, giving them a competitive edge over native species. About one-third of the established vascular plant taxa in Massachusetts are non-native (Cullina et al., 2011). However, only a small fraction (approximately 7 percent) of these introduced plants are considered invasive. Plants that qualify as invasive typically have high rates of growth, reproduction, and dispersal.

Lists of invasive plant species specific to Massachusetts and New England have been compiled by the Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group (MIPAG) and the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE), respectively. MIPAG categorizes invasive plant species in Massachusetts as "Invasive" (known invasives) and "Likely Invasive" (species that have invasive potential but do not currently meet all of MIPAG's criteria for invasiveness). They have also identified a list of "Potentially Invasive" species, which have not yet spread to Massachusetts but are known to pose invasive threats. The IPANE list includes established/widespread invasives, early detection species (which have high invasive potential but are relatively new and have not yet become widespread), and species that are being evaluated for invasiveness.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, with input from MIPAG, developed a list of Massachusetts Prohibited Plants, which includes species identified as invasive and/or noxious. It is currently illegal to import, propagate or sell any of the plants on this list within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Department derives its authority to enact this ban under Massachusetts General Law, including Chapter 128 Section 2 and Sections 16 through 31A.

Invasive plant species commonly observed in Massachusetts are listed below. Please note, this is not an all-inclusive list of invasive plants. For a more comprehensive listing, refer to the IPANE and MIPAG species lists.

Invasive Plants of Massachusetts

To sort by scientific name or common name, click on the respective column heading.

Common Name	Scientific Name	MIPAG Category	IPANE Species	Importation, Propagation and Sale Prohibited in MA?
Autumn Olive	Elaeagnus umbellata	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Barberry, Common	Berberis vulgaris	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Barberry, Japanese	Berberis thunbergii	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Bittercress, Narrow-leaf	Cardamine impatiens	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Bittersweet, Oriental	Celastrus orbiculatus	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Brome-grass, Drooping	Bromus tectorum	NA	Yes	No
Broom, Scotch	Cytisus scoparius	Did not meet criteria*	Yes	No
Buckthorn, Common	Rhamnus cathartica	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Buckthorn, Glossy	Frangula alnus	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Celandine	Chelidonium majus	NA	Yes	No
Colt's-foot	Tussilago farfara	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Dame's Rocket	Hesperis matronalis	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Euonymus, Winged	Euonymus alata	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Fanwort	Cabomba caroliniana	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Forget-me-not, True	Myosotis scorpioides	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Garlic, Wild	Allium vineale	NA	Yes	No
Goutweed	Aegopodium podagraria	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Grass, Reed Canary	Phalaris arundinacea	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Honeysuckle, Bell's	Lonicera x bella	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Honeysuckle, Japanese	Lonicera japonica	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Honeysuckle, Morrow's	Lonicera morrowii	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Honeysuckle, Tatarian	Lonicera tatarica	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Indigobush	Amorpha fruticosa	NA	Yes	No
Ivy, Ground	Glechoma hederacea	NA	Yes	No
Knapweed, Spotted	Centaurea biebersteinii	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Knotweed, Japanese	Polygonum cuspidatum	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Locust, Black	Robinia pseudoacacia	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Loosestrife, Purple	Lythrum salicaria	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Maple, Norway	Acer platanoides	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Mustard, Garlic	Alliaria petiolata	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Nightshade, Bittersweet	Solanum dulcamara	NA	Yes	No
Pepperweed, Broad-leaved	Lepidium latifolium	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Porcelainberry	Ampelopsis brevipedunculata	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Privet, Border	Ligustrum obtusifolium	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Ragged Robin	Lychnis flos-cuculi	NA	Yes	No
Reed, Common	Phragmites australis	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Rose, Multiflora	Rosa multiflora	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Rose, Rugosa	Rosa rugosa	Did not meet criteria*	Yes	No
Sorrel, Sheep	Rumex acetosella	NA	Yes	No
Spurge, Cypress	Euphorbia cyparissias	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Stiltgrass, Japanese	Microstegium vimineum	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Swallowwort, Black	Cynanchum louiseae	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Swallowwort, Pale	Cynanchum rossicum	Likely Invasive	Yes	Yes
Tree-of-Heaven	Ailanthus altissima	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Water Chestnut	Trapa natans	Invasive	Yes	Yes
Watercress	Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum	Did not meet criteria*	Yes	No
Wintercreeper	Euonymus fortunei	NA	No	No

Notes:
IPANE - Invasive Plant Atlas of New England
MIPAG - Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group
NA - Not applicable/not listed
* - Species was evaluated, but did not meet criteria to qualify it as invasive or likely invasive.

References

Cullina, M.D., B. Connolly, B. Sorrie, and P. Sommers, 2011. The Vascular Plants of Massachusetts: A County Checklist. First Revision. Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Westborough, Massachusetts.

IPANE: Invasive Plant Atlas of New England website, 2012. URL: http://www.eddmaps.org/ipane/index.html. Accessed July 7, 2012.

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 2011. Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List. URL: http://www.mass.gov/agr/farmproducts/prohibitedplantlist.htm. Last modified January 3, 2011.

Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group (MIPAG) website, 2012. URL: http://www.massnrc.org/MIPAG/index.htm. Accessed July 7, 2012.

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