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myrtleoak

What plants are naturalizing (or invading) in your area?

15 years ago

Besides the usual suspects (privet, bush honeysuckle, mimosa, etc.), what plants have noticed naturalizing in your area? Here in Knoxville, I've noticed lots of southern magnolias, especially along slopes near the lakes. Also carolina laurelcherry. More surprising are the small ball cypress trees ive seen coming up in several area swamps!

Comments (6)

  • 15 years ago

    Well, these may be "the usual suspects" for some, but many people still don't seem to realize what a problem English Ivy (Hedera helix), Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii), and many of the mints (Mentha) have become.

    If you go hiking at Ijams or on any of the trails over in Oak Ridge, for instance, English Ivy is just everywhere. Meade's Quarry over in south Knoxville shows how invasive Buddleja can be. Mints can be found all over the place, although I don't really see many large monocultures.

  • 15 years ago

    Oh yea, no thread about invading plants would be complete without a link to the TN-EPPC (a key resource for any serious gardener).
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    I noticed that the plants you listed, except for the baldcypress (which is native at least in west Tennessee), are US natives that aren't native to our particular area. Is that more of what you are interested in? I know climate-creep is a big thing for you, so I'm wondering if that's a/the tie-in.

    Here is a link that might be useful: TN-EPPC Invasive Plants List

  • 15 years ago

    Yes and no. Some of the plants I listed, such as bald cypress, would probably have been hardy here even 200 years ago, but for some reason (probably topography) never made it here. Grandiflora and laurelcherry probably are a result of warming conditions. One unusual and unexpected invader that was reported to me by a classmate is danae recemosa, Alexandrian laurel. Given the difficulty in propagation, this is surprising. Water oak was inevitable, as it was in Loudon Co. and has been creeping northward. What is odd is that water oak is native to areas of TN that see colder temps than we do on the highland rim, yet not native here.

  • 15 years ago

    myrtleoak-There is a large population of water oak along I-24 in Coffee County near the industrial park/Arnold AFB exits. There also may be some along SR55 in Warren County, but they are too far off the road for me to tell for sure. Both populations are on the Eastern Highland Rim. I've never seen these trees hold leaves all winter, they usually defoliate sometime after the last of Dec. first of Jan. The ones in the Nashville heat island hold green/yellow leaves all winter most years.

  • 15 years ago

    A classmate and I have theorized that it may have something to do with more acidic conditions in river bottoms. The river bottoms here seem to be more calcareous typically. There is a fairly old water oak at the i-75/i-40 split near the Knox co line and I have discovered two wild specimens off topside road in Blount Co. I dont think the one near the split was planted, though it may have hitched a ride on a truck bed form further south. Finally, my classmate has discovered several specimens in the Turkey Creek wetland preserve adjacent to the shopping area. Honestly, I have wondered at times whether water oak could have been originally present in this area in very small numbers in areas that were flooded by TVA in the 30's. You may also be interested to know that overcup oak, typically a lower Mississippi Valley bottomland oak, was recently discovered in northeast Knox Co. off of Tazewell Pike. It is interesting to think that all plant populations are not necessarily known, even in populous areas like Knox Co.!

  • 15 years ago

    Periwinkle is getting noticeably worse here in the Tri-Cities area lately, taking over large forest floor areas. I am not even mentioning Japanese honeysuckle, it is the worst, almost like kudzu.

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