Industrial Vegetation Management

Scouting for Invasive Plant Species

Tips on Scouting and Identifying Invasive Plant Species

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As a vegetation management professional, you know you can’t wait until something is a problem to fix it. Whether it’s bareground, railways, roadways, utility corridors or municipal land, staying proactive is the key to successful control of unwanted brush, grasses and weeds. Scouting early and often is a must.

Scouting and identifying invasive plants early in the season often makes them easier to deal with before they grow larger with stronger root systems. Here are some common species to look out for:

Callery Pear

Scientific Name: Pyrus calleryana

Also Known As: Bradford pear, Aristocrat, redspire

Life Cycle: Deciduous

U.S. Habitat: Eastern and Midwestern U.S.

Callery pears are hardwood trees that grow 16 to 26 feet tall with a conical to rounded crown. The oval leaves are 1.5 to 3 inches long. In summer, the leaves are green in color with a paler underside, but they change colors in autumn to yellows, oranges, reds, brown and more. They flower white, five-petaled flowers in early spring and produce small, hard fruit.

Bush Honeysuckle

Scientific Name: Lonicera species

Also Known As: Amur honeysuckle, bella hybrids

Life Cycle: Deciduous or evergreen, depending on the species

U.S. Habitat: Forests and woodlands; invasive species in southern U.S.

Bush honeysuckles are large shrubs that grow 15-20 feet tall. Leaves are usually 1-3 inches long and oval-shaped. In summer, they are green in color on top and fuzzy, pale green underneath. The bark tends to be grayish brown. In May to June, they flower fragrant, tubular, 1-inch-long flowers that can range in white to pink to yellow in color.

Tree of Heaven

Scientific Name: Ailanthus altissima

Also Known As: Ailanthus, varnish tree

Life Cycle: Deciduous

U.S. Habitat: Temperate climates

Trees of heaven grow between 56 to 89 feet tall. The pinnate leaves are large and range from 1-3 feet in length. They are brown when they emerge but grow to medium or dark green. The bark is smooth and light gray. Flowers are small and panicle, and they can range in color from yellowish-green to red.

Autumn Olive

Scientific Name: Elaeagnus umbellata

Also Known As: Japanese silverberry, umbellata oleaster, spreading oleaster

Life Cycle: Deciduous

U.S. Habitat: Tropical and temperate; invasive species in the eastern U.S.

Autumn olive is a shrub that can grow up to 11 feet tall with a dense crown. The leaves grow 1.5-4 inches long. The leaves are silvery in spring when they emerge but grow to be greener. The branches often bear thorns. Flowers grow in clusters, are fragrant and are usually pale yellowish-white in color. They fruit small stone fruits that initially grow silvery and ripen to look red with silver or brown spots.

Spotted Knapweed

Scientific Name: Centaurea maculosa

Also Known As: Panicled knapweed

Life Cycle: Biennial or short-lived perennial

U.S. Habitat: Sandy soil in dry climates; invasive species in the entire U.S. but especially the western U.S.

Spotted knapweed is a herbaceous weed that has a stout taproot. It has pale lobed leaves that are covered in short, fine hairs. Young knapweed produces a basal rosette that grows up to 6 inches long, but second-year and older plants grow stems with slender, hairy branching up to 3 feet tall. Flowers are bright pink with black-tipped sepals.

Cogongrass

Scientific Name: Imperata cylindrica

Also Known As: Kunai grass, spear grass, sword grass, thatch grass

Life Cycle: Perennial

U.S. Habitat: Sandy soil in tropical and subtropical climates in southeastern U.S.

Cogongrass is a rhizomatous grass that has no apparent stem with leaves growing directly from or close to the ground. The leaves are long, 1-inch-wide blade leaves that can grow up to 6 feet long. Margins are finely serrated. They have a prominent, whitish midrib, while the leaves are often yellowish-green in color but can be red or brown in the fall or winter. Seeds are light and fluffy like dandelions and bloom from late March to mid-June.

Japanese Stiltgrass

Scientific Name:

Microstegium vimineum

Also Known As: Packing grass, Nepalese browntop

Life Cycle: Annual

U.S. Habitat: Variety of habitats in acidic to neutral, moist soils; invasive species in the southeast U.S.

Japanese stiltgrass looks similar to delicate bamboo. The smooth leaves are 1 to 3 inches long and grow in a lance shape. They have an asymmetrical midrib, and they grow in alternating patterns around the stalk with reflective hairs down the upper leaf surface. The plant itself grows to about 3.5 feet tall.

Kudzu

Scientific Name: Pueraria montana

Also Known As: Japanese arrowroot, Chinese arrowroot

Life Cycle: perennial

U.S. Habitat: Tropical and subtropical climates; invasive species in the southeastern U.S.

Kudzu is a deciduous, twining, trailing, woody vine. The leaves are round-shaped and in pinnately compound three leaflets that are about 3 to 7 inches long with pointed tips. The two-sided leaflets are usually one lobed, with the middle leaflet two lobed. The margins have fine, golden hair. It has semi-woody tuberous roots and can grow down 3 to 16 feet.

As stewards of the land, it’s our job to take care of noxious and invasive weeds to create healthier ecosystems. Once you identify your weeds, you can trust Envu for herbicide solutions to help you on your way ahead.

Contact your Envu rep and view our product portfolio to learn more integrated vegetation management programs that can help you eliminate weeds and promote healthier habitats.