Invasive Plants

Arundo donax; Photo credit: Deedy Wright

On a global basis … the two great destroyers of biodiversity are, first, habitat destruction and second, invasion by exotic species. 

E. O. Wilson, Father of Biodiversity

Our Mission

The mission of the NPSOT Invasive Plant Committee is to convey the harm caused by invasive plants, to provide informational resources to identify and manage invasive plants, to support invasive plant removal and to restore habitats with native plant alternatives.

To contact the Invasive Plant Committee, send us an email

Negative Impact of Invasive Plants

  1. Contribute to the decline of our natural biodiversity.
  2. Impact the health of ecosystems by displacing native plants. 
  3. Impact nature’s balance on which all species, including humans, depend.
 

In order to preserve the biodiversity and conserve natural habitat quality throughout our state, the Native Plant Society of Texas encourages the use of native plants on public and private lands and discourages the use of invasive plants.

Invasive Plant Database

To search for plants in the invasive plant database, use the search box below and filter by type of plant if desired and press Submit. 

You can enter the plant’s common or scientific name, or other relevant criteria to refine your search. 

The database will return matching invasive plants, along with detailed information about each species’ characteristics, impacts, and more. We also show information about removal and appropriate native species replacements for your ecoregion.

Air Potato

Dioscorea bulbifera

Vine

Alligatorweed

Alternanthera philoxeroides

Aquatic, Perennial

Amur Honeysuckle

Lonicera maachii

Shrub

Anchored Water Hyacinth

Pontederia azurea

Aquatic, Perennial

Bastard Cabbage

Rapistrum rugosum

Annual

Bermudagrass

Cynodon dactylon

Grass and Sedge, Perennial

Big Leaf Periwinkle

Vinca major

Groundcover, Vine

Bradford Pear

Pyrus calleryana

Tree

Brazilian Peppertree

Schinus terebinthifolius

Shrub, Tree

Brazilian Vervain

Verbena brasiliensis

Annual, Perennial

Buffelgrass

Cenchrus ciliare

Grass and Sedge

Camphor Tree

Cinnamomum camphora

Tree

Catclaw Vine

Dolichandra unguis-cati

Perennial, Vine

Cherokee Rose

Rosa laevigata

Shrub, Vine

Chinaberry

Melia azedarach

Tree

Chinese Parasol Tree

Firmiana simplex

Tree

Chinese Pistache

Pistacia chinensis

Tree

Chinese Privet

Ligustrum sinense

Shrub, Tree

Chinese Tallow

Triadica sebifera

Tree

Chinese Wisteria

Wisteria sinensis

Vine

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About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason