Plants to Avoid When Landscaping
The plant list below includes non-native, invasive plants to avoid when landscaping. Those considered most invasive in our region are denoted by an asterisk (*). The invasive plants on this list encroach upon and severely threaten natural plant communities. They spread aggressively, crowd out native plants and create monocultures that threaten the habitats of native wildlife.
Non-native Trees, Shrubs and Vines
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
|---|
| Acer platanoides |
Norway maple |
| Ailanthus altissim |
tree of heaven |
| *Alnus glutinosa |
European alder |
| Ampelopsis brevipedunculata |
porcelain berry |
| Berberis thunbergii |
Japanese barberry |
| *Betula pendula |
European white birch |
| *Celastrus orbiculatus |
Japanese bittersweet |
| Colutea arborescens |
bladder senna |
| Elaeagnus angustifolia |
Russian olive |
| *Elaeagnus umbellata |
autumn olive |
| Euonymus alatus |
winged spindle-tree |
| *Euonymus fortunei |
Chinese spindle-tree |
| Exochorda racemosa |
pearl-bush |
| *Ligustrum vulgare |
common privet |
| *Lonicera x bella |
Bell’s honeysuckle |
| *Lonicera japonica |
Japanese honeysuckle |
| *Lonicera maackii |
Amur honeysuckle |
| *Lonicera morrowi |
Morrow’s honeysuckle |
| Lonicera tatarica |
Tartarian honeysuckle |
| Malus prunifolia |
Chinese crabapple |
| Morus alba |
white mulberry |
| Populus alba |
white poplar |
| *Rhamnus cathartica |
common buckthorn |
| *Rhamnus frangula |
European buckthorn |
| Robinia pseudoacacia |
black locust |
| Rosa canina |
dog rose |
| Rosa eglanteria |
sweetbrier |
| *Rosa multiflora |
multiflora rose |
| Salix fragilis |
crack willow |
| Salix purpurea |
basket willow |
| Ulmus pumila |
Siberian elm |
| *Viburnum opulus |
European high-bush cranberry |
Non-Native Herbaceous Plants
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
|---|
| *Aegopodium podagraria |
goutweed |
| *Alliaria petiolata |
garlic mustard |
| *Artemisia vulgaris |
mugwort |
| Bromus inermis |
smooth brome |
| Centaurea maculosa |
spotted knapweed |
| Chelidonium majus |
greater celandine |
| *Cirsium arvense |
Canada thistle |
| Cirsium vulgare |
bull-thistle |
| Conium maculatum |
poison hemlock |
| Calystegia sepium |
common bindweed |
| Coronilla varia |
crown vetch |
| *Dipsacus laciniatus |
cut-leaf teasel |
| *Dipsacus sylvestris |
common teasel |
| *Duchesnea indica |
Indian strawberry |
| *Epilobium hirsutum |
hairy willow-herb |
| Euphorbia cyparissias |
cypress spurge |
| Festuca pratensis |
tall fescue |
| Galium odorata |
sweet woodruff |
| *Hedera helix |
English ivy |
| Hemerocallis fulva |
day lily |
| Hieracium aurantiacum |
devil’s paintbrush |
| Holcus lanatus |
velvet grass |
| *Iris pseudacorus |
yellow flag |
| *Lythrum salicaria |
purple loosestrife |
| Melilotus alba |
white sweet clover |
| *Myriophyllum spicatum |
Eurasian water-milfoil |
| Najas minor |
European naiad |
| Ornithogalum nutans |
drooping Bethlehem-bells |
| *Ornithogalum umbellatum |
Bethlehem-bells |
| *Pachysandra terminalis |
pachysandra |
| Pastinaca sativa |
wild parsnip |
| *Phalaris arundinacea |
reed canary grass |
| *Phragmites australis |
giant reed grass |
| *Polygonum cuspidatum |
Japanese knotweed |
| Potamogeton crispus |
curly-leaved pondweed |
| *Ranunculus ficaria |
lesser celandine |
| Saponaria officinalis |
bouncing bet |
| Sonchus arvensis |
sow thistle |
| Sorghum halepense |
Johnson grass |
| *Typha angustifolia |
narrow-leaved cattail |
| *Typha x glauca |
hybrid cattail |
| Verbascum thapsus |
common mullein |
| *Vinca minor |
myrtle |