Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council
List of Non-native Invasive Plants in Georgia
Georgia EPPC Invasive Plant List Purpose
The purpose of the Georgia EPPC Invasive Plant List is to identify and categorize plants that pose threats to natural areas in Georgia. Natural areas are those areas that are managed to conserve or restore the native plant communities. For this list, invasive plants do not include plants that are only problems in agricultural or pastoral systems. The list does not have regulatory authority; it is intended to aid in land management decisions and increase public awareness of invasive species.
Invasive Plant Definition
Invasive species is defined as any species, including its seeds, spores or other biological material capable of propagating that species, that is not native to that ecosystem; and whose introduction does or is likely to cause environmental harm. Political boundaries are not used when determining a species nativity. Instead a species is defined as being exotic when it is not native to a particular ecosystem, making it possible to have a species that is native to parts of Georgia, but considered invasive in others.
List Description
The invasive plant list is separated into 4 categories, with one subcategory (see category definitions below). Species were ranked by EPPC members with input from other professionals and land managers. Detailed distribution information does not exist for many of these species, making it difficult to use demonstrable distribution data as a criterion for ranking a species. Efforts are underway to collect this distribution data and future revisions of the Georgia EPPC Invasive Species List will incorporate the data.
Category 1 - Exotic plant that is a serious problem in Georgia natural areas by extensively invading native plant communities and displacing native species.
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Ailanthus altissima (P. Mill.) Swingle | tree-of-heaven |
| Albizia julibrissin Durazz. | mimosa |
| Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. | alligatorweed |
| Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms | common water hyacinth |
| Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. | autumn olive |
| Hedera helix L. | English ivy |
| Hydrilla verticillata (L. f.) Royle | hydrilla |
| Lespedeza bicolor Turcz. | shrubby lespedeza |
| Lespedeza cuneata (Dum.-Cours.) G. Don | sericea lespedeza |
| Ligustrum sinense Lour. | Chinese privet |
| Lonicera japonica Thunb. | Japanese honeysuckle |
| Lygodium japonicum (Thunb. ex Murr.) Sw. | Japanese climbing fern |
| Melia azedarach L. | chinaberry |
| Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus | Japanese stiltgrass |
| Murdannia keisak (Hassk.) Hand.-Maz. | marsh dayflower |
| Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Sieb. & Zucc. ex Steud. | princesstree |
| Pueraria montana var. lobata (Willd.) Maesen & S. Almeida | kudzu |
| Rosa multiflora Thunb. | multiflora rose |
| Triadica sebifera (L.) Small | Chinese tallowtree |
| Wisteria sinensis (Sims) DC. | Chinese wisteria |
Category 1 Alert - Exotic plant that is a not yet a serious problem in Georgia natural areas, but that has significant potential to become a serious problem.
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Achyranthes japonica (Miq.) Nakai | Japanese chaff flower |
| Alliaria petiolata (Bieb.) Cavara & Grande | garlic mustard |
| Arthraxon hispidus (Thunb.) Makino | small carpetgrass, joint-head grass |
| Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. | oriental bittersweet |
| Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. | cogongrass |
| Paederia foetida L. | skunk-vine |
| Reynoutria japonica Sieb. & Zucc. | Japanese knotweed |
| Salvinia molesta D. S. Mitchell | giant salvinia |
Category 2 - Exotic plant that is a moderate problem in Georgia natural areas through invading native plant communities and displacing native species, but to a lesser degree than category 1 species.
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Ardisia crenata Sims | coral ardisia |
| Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl | camphortree |
| Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers | bermudagrass |
| Dioscorea polystachya Turcz. | Chinese yam |
| Egeria densa Planch. | Brazilian waterweed |
| Elaeagnus pungens Thunb. | thorny olive |
| Leucanthemum vulgare Lam. | oxeye daisy |
| Ligustrum japonicum Thunb. | Japanese privet |
| Lonicera maackii (Rupr.) Herder | Amur honeysuckle |
| Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. | Chinese silvergrass |
| Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc. | parrotfeather |
| Nandina domestica Thunb. | sacred bamboo |
| Nasturtium officinale R. Brown | watercress |
| Paspalum notatum Fluegge | bahiagrass |
| Phyllostachys aurea Carr. ex A.& C. Rivière | golden bamboo |
| Sesbania herbacea (P. Mill.) McVaugh | bigpod sesbania |
| Sesbania punicea (Cav.) Benth. | red sesbania |
| Spiraea japonica L. f. | Japanese spiraea |
| Tamarix gallica L. | French tamarisk |
| Vinca major L. | big periwinkle |
| Vinca minor L. | common periwinkle |
Category 3 - Exotic plant that is a minor problem in Georgia natural areas, or is not yet known to be a problem in Georgia but is known to be a problem in adjacent states.
Category 4 - Exotic plant that is naturalized in Georgia but generally does not pose a problem in Georgia natural areas or a potentially invasive plant in need of additional information to determine its true status.
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