Cassie L. Conner, Coordinator

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Bad Neighbors How Invasive Plants Threaten
Natives
Cassie L. Conner, Coordinator Sandhills Weed
Management Area Southern Pines,
NC cassieconner_at_sandhillswma.org http//www.sandhi
llswma.org
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What is the Sandhills Weed Management Area?

• The Sandhills Weed Management Area (SWMA) is a
  cooperative weed management area which the
  Midwest Invasive Plant Network defines as
• a local organization that integrates all
  invasive plant management resources across
  jurisdictional boundaries in order to benefit
  entire communities.
• This means.

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Cooperative Weed Management Areas

• Organizations working together
• Sharing
• resources
• Transcending
• property
• boundaries

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How Do Invasives Impact Natives?
They use limited resources such as space, light,
water and nutrients needed by native plants.
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How Do Invasives Impact Natives?
Some actively smother or strangle other plants.
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How Do Invasives Impact Natives?
Some are allelopathic their roots exude a
chemical that prevents the germination of the
seeds of other plants. Spring ephemerals are
especially susceptible.
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How Do Invasives Impact Natives?
They change the natural biomass load and
nutrient cycle of areas they invade.
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How Do Invasives Impact Natives?
They hybridize with native, and sometimes rare,
populations.
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Chinese privet Ligustrum sinenseSpecies Profile

• Growth form Chinese privet is a shrub or small
  tree growing between 5 to 12 feet
• Flower Flowers occur in cone-shaped, branching
  clusters two to four inches long that profusely
  cover the shrub. The flowers produce a somewhat
  disagreeable aroma
• Seeds/Fruit Flowers mature into bluish black,
  berry-like fruits.

Leaves Leaves are evergreen to semi-deciduous
and oppositely arranged on nodes usually less
than one inch apart. Stems Chinese privet
branches abundantly and the branches typically
arch gently downward. Roots The root system is
shallow but extensive. Suckers are readily
produced.
Lowell Urbatsch _at_ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
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Chinese Privet Control

• Chinese privet is difficult to control because
  of the huge seedbank and the need to remove
  underground parts as well. Small infestations in
  the early stages of invasion can be controlled
  mechanically by removing the entire plant. Fire
  is an ineffective control method. Herbicide
  application has been shown to be an effective
  control method. Foliar spray application of
  herbicide can be used on large thickets where
  damage to nearby species is not an issue. Cut
  stump and basal bark treatments are effective as
  long as the ground is not frozen.
• SWMA recommendations
• Small plants in loose soil can be pulled as long
  as entire plant and root system are removed
• Small plants that cannot be pulled can be treated
  with a 2 glyphosate foliar spray
• Large shrubs should have their stems cut and a
  20 glyphosate mixture should be applied to the
  cut stump

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English Ivy Hedera helixSpecies Profile

• Growth form English ivy is an evergreen
  climbing vine or groundcover. It can attach
  itself to almost any surface and grow 80 feet
  high. As a groundcover it can spread 50 feet
  wide.
• Flower Small, greenish-white flowers appear on
  mature plants. They occur in umbrella-like
  clusters in the fall.
• Seeds/Fruit A black, berry-like drupe, ¼ inch
  across matures in the spring and ripens over
  winter.

Leaves Leaves are alternate, simple, dark
green, waxy and somewhat leathery with many
recognized leaf forms. The most common form being
a 3 to 5 lobed leaf with a heart-shaped base.
Stems The stems of older vines are known to
reach a foot in diameter. The stems root as they
spread outward. Roots Small roots grow from
the stems and attach to many things with a
glue-like substance.
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English Ivy Control

• H. helix originates from landscape plantings. To
  prevent initial introduction, native alternative
  vines should be used in plantings. To control
  established invasions, the use of herbicides is
  most effective. Combining the use of cutting and
  herbicide application is very effective.
• Native vine alternatives Trumpet Creeper
  (Campsis radicans), Virginia Creeper
  (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), Passionflower Vine
  (Passiflora lutea), Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia
  macrophylla), and native Wisteria (Wisteria
  frutescens).
• SWMA recommendations
• Small plants in loose soil can be pulled as long
  as entire plant and root system are removed
• Small plants that cannot be pulled can be treated
  with a 2 glyphosate foliar spray
• Large vines should be cut near the ground and a
  20 glyphosate mixture should be applied to the
  cut stump

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Chinese Silvergrass Miscanthus sinensisSpecies
Profile

• Growth form Tall, densely bunched, perennial
  grass, 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3 m) in height.
• Flower Much branched and drooping terminal
  plumed panicles. Silvery to pinkish, showiest in
  fall.

Seeds/Fruit Many loosely plumed panicles in late
summer turning silvery to pinkish in fall.
Leaves Long-slender upright-to-arching leaves
with whitish upper midveins. Stems
Upright-to-arching, originating in tufts from
base and unbranched. Covered with overlapping
leaf sheaths until stem appears with flower plume
in late summer. Roots Has a a branched,
subterranean rhizome system by which it can
reproduce.
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Chinese Silvergrass Control

• Chinese Silvergrass reproduces primarily through
  an extensive underground rhizome system. A piece
  of its rhizome as small as 4cm can be used to
  propagate the plant. It is also known to move
  into areas that have been burned or cut. In
  addition to this, it is highly flammable and can
  increase the intensity of a fire as well as to
  encourage the spread of the fire when wind picks
  up burning pieces of its debris. Therefore it is
  not recommended that it be treated with fire.
  Chemical control can be successful particularly
  in the fall with repeat applications. A repeated
  combination of mowing and chemical control has
  proven effective.
• NPS recommendation
• Large areas of Chinese Silvergrass can be mowed
  and then allowed to resprout to the height of 1
  ft. Then apply a foliar spray of 2-3 glyphosate
  mixture.

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Garlic Mustard Alliaria petiolataSpecies
Profile

• Growth form Alliaria petiolata is an obligate
  biennial herb. Seedlings emerge in spring and
  form basal rosettes by midsummer. Immature plants
  overwinter as basal rosettes. In the spring of
  the second year the rosettes (now adult plants)
  produce flower stalks, set seed, and subsequently
  die.
• Flower April to May. Terminal, tight clusters
  of small white four-petaled flowers
• Seeds/Fruit Green ripening to tan and papery,
  exploding to expel tiny black seeds up to 10ft.

Leaves Early basal rosette of kidney-shaped
leaves and later alternate heart-shaped to
triangular leaves. Stems Erect, slightly
ridged, light green, hairless above and hairy
below. One to several stems from the same
rootstock.
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Garlic Mustard Control

• Garlic Mustards success as an invasive is due
  to its ability to produce an extensive number of
  seeds. A single plant can produce thousands of
  seed that remain viable in the seedbank for at
  least 5 years. Any successful control will
  require a commitment to treat the site at least
  annually for several years. Mechanical removal
  such as pulling, cutting or mowing before the
  plant goes to seed can be successful, as can
  chemical control if applied before the plant goes
  to seed.
• SWMA recommendations
• Small infestations should be hand pulled before
  the plant sets seed.
• Larger, accessible sites should be mowed.
• Large, hard to access sites should be treated
  with a foliar application of 2 glyphosate
• Plants with flowers or seed capsules should be
  bagged and removed from the site to avoid
  spreading seed.
• All management plans should include treatment
  over multiple years until the seed bank is
  exhausted.

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Kudzu - Pueraria montanaSpecies Profile

• Growth form Semi-woody, aggressively climbing
  perennial vine that is capable of growing a foot
  per day, extending 60 feet a year, and reaching
  up to 100 feet in length.
• Flower Sunlit kudzu produces rare blooms of
  elongate hanging racemes that contain clusters of
  pea-like purple flowers
• Seeds/Fruit Brown, papery, hairy, flat seed
  pods that contain three to twelve small, hard,
  rounded seeds.

Leaves Dark green, deciduous leaves are
alternate and pinnately trifoliate Stems
Thick, rough, bark-covered stems have long,
yellowish brown hairs at the base Roots Edible
fibrous tubers can grow to over seven inches wide
and six feet long, and weigh 400 pounds, with
each root crown capable of forming thirty vines.
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Kudzu Control

• Kudzu should be cut or mowed late in the growing
  season and the plant material should be removed
  from the area and destroyed. Herbicide should be
  applied to the cut stems. The type of herbicide
  used depends on the landscape and its uses.
  Burning after the herbicide has killed the Kudzu
  may assist native plants in colonizing the site.
  This procedure will need to be repeated for 4-10
  years.
• SWMA Recommendations
• Cut vines of climbing or trailing kudzu until a
  root crown is found. Dig up root crown with a
  mattock and spray with a 20 glyphosate solution.
  

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Oriental Bittersweet Celastrus
orbiculatusSpecies Profile

• Growth form Deciduous, twining and climbing
  woody vine to 60 feet (20 m) in tree crowns,
  forming thicket and arbor infestations.
• Flower Axillary dangling clusters of
  inconspicuous yellowish flowers in spring.
• Seeds/Fruit Green spherical fruit that split to
  reveal three-parted showy scarlet berries in
  winter.

Leaves Alternate, elliptic to rounded leaves.
Variable shaped, long tapering tipped when young
becoming larger and round tipped when mature.
Stems Woody vine to 4 inches (10 cm)
diameter, twining and arbor forming, with many
alternate drooping branches growing at angles and
eventually becoming straight.
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Oriental Bittersweet Control

• Oriental Bittersweet is a widespread and
  prolific invasive due in part to its commercial
  use by humans. It is particularly difficult to
  control because of its lack of response to
  common herbicides like glyphosate. Weekly mowing
  can be an effective control, but less frequent
  mowing will stimulate root suckering. Manual
  pulling has been effective on small infestation
  and a combination of cutting and herbicide
  application has been effective in controlling
  large populations. If seeds are present on
  pulled or cut plants, they should be bagged and
  removed from the site to prevent further seedbank
  establishment.
• SWM recommendations
• Small plants in loose soil can be pulled as long
  as entire plant and root system are removed
• Small plants that cannot be pulled can be treated
  with a 2 tricolpyr foliar spray
• Large vines should be cut near the ground and
  either immediately treated with a 25 triclopyr
  solution or allowed to resurge for a month and
  then treat the regrowth with a 2 triclopyr
  foliar spray

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Invasive
NativeOriental Bittersweet vs. American
Bittersweet(Celastrus orbiculatus)
(Celastrus scandens)

• American Bittersweet is threatened by Oriental
  Bittersweet hybridization

Fast grower Slow grower
Flowers and fruit present all along stems Flowers and fruit present only at the end of stems
Smaller fruit, 5 or more seeds Larger fruit, 1 or fewer seeds
When first leafing out, the two sides of the leaf are folded together When first leafing out, the leaf margins are rolled under like a scroll
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Invasive
NativeOriental Bittersweet vs. American
Bittersweet(Celastrus orbiculatus)
(Celastrus scandens)

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Oriental Bittersweet North Carolina Class C
Noxious Weed

• NC has three classes of noxious weeds A,B and C
• Class A plants are prohibited from being sold,
  distributed or moved into or within North
  Carolina
• - includes all federally-listed weeds plus 5
  others
• Class B plants are prohibited from being sold,
  distributed or moved out of counties under
  quarantine
• - includes 9 species
• Class C plants are prohibited from being moved
  out of counties under quarantine, BUT sale and
  distribution is allowed
• Oriental Bittersweet is the ONLY plant in Class C

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Summer ED/RR Field Team

• An Early Detection/Rapid Response approach allows
  land managers to quickly address new invasive
  plant problems
• The SWMA Field
• Team worked on
• six different sites
• for four partnership
• members

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SWMA Websitehttp//www.sandhillswma.org
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Website Features

• A native plant list with suggestions for
  alternatives to invasives
• Species profiles
• Species distribution lists
• Photos for learning identification
• A message board for community interaction
• Links to other invasive management resources
• Past presentation and other outreach material

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Benefits of a CWMA

• Resource Sharing
• Physical Resources
• -Tools
• - Herbicide
• - Equipment
• - Storage

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Benefits of a CWMA

• Resource Sharing
• Human Resources
• - One coordinator or leadership committee for
  all areas
• - Expertise of land managers, biologists,
  botanists, etc. from all partner organization
• - Field team available for use in all areas

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Benefits of a CWMA

• Transcending Boundaries
• Weeds dont obey property lines
• Infestations may stretch across
• jurisdictional boundaries
• Populations in adjacent areas
• may infest high quality area

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Benefits of a CWMA

• Managing a Large Area
• Assessing new species for Early Detection/Rapid
  Response consideration
• Prioritizing control activities
• - Examples of high priority sites
• Infestations of new
• invasive species with
• potential to spread
• Infestations in or near
• high quality sites