Invasive Herbaceous Plants

How to identify and manage invasive mile-a-minute vine.

How to identify and manage invasive garlic mustard.

How to manage herbaceous invasive plants.

How to manage invasive grasses.

Mile-a-minute is a vigorous invasive that may only have just begun to spread in the United States. One estimate surmises that it is only found in 20% of its potential range in this country.

Lesser celandine can be an ecological threat. It was introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant in the late 1800s. Although its sale was banned in Maryland in 2017, it may still be available for sale in other states.

Garlic mustard is a biennial flowering plant in the mustard family that is an aggressive invader of woodlands throughout the United States.

Butterflybush is a rarity among non-native, invasive species. It has a wide variety of cultivars and a wide range of supporters among retail outlets as well as some environmental observers. It is also benefitting from positive public relations related to the decline of butterflies. However, it is indeed invasive, and contributes to (rather than mitigates) the decline of pollinators.

Japanese knotweed is an upright, shrubby, herbaceous perennial plant that can grow to over ten feet in height. It commonly invades disturbed areas with full or mostly full sunlight, such as roadsides. However, it can tolerate shade, as well as high temperatures, high salinity, and drought.

Kudzu is a deciduous, climbing, semi-woody perennial vine that grows 35 to 100 feet long. It grows via runners, rhizomes, and from nearly every node that touches the ground. It spreads most rapidly in open areas, including disturbed areas such as abandoned fields, roadsides, and forest edges.