Kudzu Japanese Knotweed Pueraria montana Reynoutria japonica

Multiflora Rose Privet Rosa multiflora Ligustrum sinense

Kudzu is a perennial trailing or climbing vine of the legume (pea) Japanese Knotweed is a perennial shrub family Leaves: Simple alternate leaves (6in long and 5in wide) with a flat Leaves: Compound leaves are broad, up to seven or eight inches base. long; have hairy undersides; and are arranged in threes at the ends of Flowers & Fruit: Knotweed flowers are small and cream colored, the stems. arranged in spikes within the leaf axis near the end of the stalk. Its Flowers & Fruit: A fragrance reminiscent of grapes, the one half to fruits are winged with dark and glossy seeds. three quarter inch purple flowers are produced on plants exposed to Stems: Reddish-brown bamboo-like stalks direct sunlight. Kudzu fruits in October and November and produces hairy, bean-like pods with a few viable seeds in each pod

Stems: Young stems of this plant are hairy, while older stems be- Commonly found along streams and rivers and roadsides. come woody and up to an inch in diameter.

Privet is an evergreen or semi-evergreen, multi-stemmed peren- Large, arching shrub up to 10+ feet, with multiple woody stems nial shrub in distinct clumps. The lower stems are typically erect and the Leaves: Thin and ovate to elliptic, with entire margins, but the tips arch back to the ground. rounded tip is often minutely indented. The leaves are opposite, and Leaves: Pinnately compound with 5-11 alternate leaflets and a termi- from near right angles to the stem and are leathery and thick, usually nal leaflet. Leaflets are broadly oval with finely serrated margins. A less than 2.5 inches long, with a lustrous green color above and pale feathery stipule, which is diagnostic for the species, occurs at the green with a hairy midvein below base of each leaf. Flowers & Fruit: The flowers occur from April to June as abundant, Flowers & Fruit: Clusters of fragrant, white to pinkish-white, 5- fragrant white clusters, mostly on the ends of the branches. The fruits petaled flowers bloom in May or June. Small red fruits called rose are dense, ovoid drupes (i.e. stone fruits, like a grape) that occur from hips develop from September through October and can persist July to March. They are pale green in the summer and ripen to dark through winter. purple and appear almost black in late fall to winter. Stems: Smooth, erect at the bases with arching tips and downward Stems: Smooth and multi-stemmed, usually with whitish-tan to gray curved, flattened, broad-based thorns. bark. The leaf scars are semicircular, with one bundle scar. Japanese Honeysuckle Tree-of-Heaven Lonicera japonica Ailanthus altissima

Princess Tree Oriental Bittersweet Paulownia tomentosa Celastrus orbiculatus TOH is a small to medium-sized tree with smooth, gray bark that Japanese honeysuckle is a perennial vine that climbs by twisting can achieve a maximum height of up to 100 feet. its stems around vertical structures, including limbs and trunks Leaves: Leaves are alternate along the stem and are compound, com- of shrubs and small trees. posed of 11-40 leaflets oppositely arranged along the leaf stem with a Leaves: Leaves are oblong to oval, sometimes lobed, have short terminal leaflet. Each leaflet is two to five inches long, lance-shaped, stalks, and occur in pairs along the stem. with a pointed tip and blunt base. Most leaflets have one to three Flowers & Fruit: Flowers are tubular, with five fused petals, white coarse teeth near their base. When crushed, the leaves produce a dis- to pink, turning yellow with age, very fragrant, and occur in pairs tinctive, odor that has been described as scorched peanut butter. along the stem at leaf junctures. Stems and leaves are sometimes cov- Flowers & Fruit: The tree flowers in July and August, with flowers ered with fine, soft hairs. Japanese honeysuckle blooms from late occurring in panicles (branched flower cluster) at the ends of the April through July and sometimes into October. Small black fruits branches. Each greenish-yellow flower has five sepals and petals. are produced in autumn, each containing 2-3 oval to oblong, dark Seed production is enormous, up to 300,000 seeds per tree on mature brown seeds about 1/4 inch across. trees; the seeds are encased in a distinctive papery sheath called a samara. The samaras are slightly twisted or curled and can be carried Stems: Young stems are slender, while older stems are hollow with for considerable distances by the wind. brownish bark that peels in long strips.

Oriental Bittersweet is a deciduous, woody vine that can reach Princess tree grows rapidly in a wide variety of disturbed and 100ft in length and 7in in diameter. undisturbed areas. Leaves: Alternate, glossy and finely toothed. They are often round, 2 Leaves: The leaves are large (5-10 inches long on mature trees), -5 inches long, and have pointed tips heart-shaped, and oppositely arranged along the branches. The edges Flowers & Fruit: Flowers are small, greenish yellow, five-pedaled of the leaves often have blunt “horns” on each side. and clustered in the leaf axis. They bloom May-June. Fruits have a Flowers & Fruit: This tree flowers in April and May, usually before yellow-orange outer skin and 3-6 bright red seeds inside. They are its leaves have fully emerged. The very, large, light purple flowers clustered in the leaf axis and are often present all winter. are distinctively sticky and hairy on the outside. These flowers are Stems: Stems are light or medium brown with light horizontal marks arranged in pyramidal clusters that are about 10 to 15 inches long. and a white pith. The fruits appear from April through June and the hulls persist in large brown clusters through the winter and into early spring. The Roots: Bright orange seeds from these fruits are small and winged and disperse easily. Bark: The bark of this tree is characteristically gray with shallow, shiny ribs. English Ivy Winged Burning Bush Hedera helix Euonymus alatus

Japanese Barberry Wisteria Berberis thunbergii Wisteria sinensis Winged burning bush is a rounded shrub that grows to 8.2 feet English ivy is an evergreen climbing vine that attaches to the tall. bark of trees, brickwork, and other surfaces by way of small root Leaves: Leaves are opposite and elliptical 1.5-3 inches long with -like structures which exude a sticky substance that helps the finely toothed margins. They are dark green above and slightly paler vines adhere to various surfaces. below; in fall they turn a bright red giving it its common name. Leaves: Leaves are dark green with white veins, waxy to somewhat Flowers & Fruit: Flowers are an inconspicuous yellow-green, oc- leathery, and arranged alternately along the stem. As a groundcover, curring in clusters of three in late spring. The fruit is the leaves have three to five lobes (the most common). Mature plants a dehiscent capsule containing up to 4 seeds that are enclosed in in full sun that are ready to flower often have un-lobed, oval leaves. an aril. Flowers & Fruit: Under sufficient light conditions, terminal clusters Stems: The branches typically have prominent, corky wings, alt- of small, pale yellow-green flowers are produced in the fall. The hough stem wings are reduced to ridges or absent on some plants. flowers are attractive to flies and bees in search of late season nectar sources. The black-purple fruits have a thin fleshy outer covering, contain one to three hard, stone-like seeds and may persist through the winter if not eaten first.

Wisteria has a deciduous, woody vine capable of growing up to Japanese barberry is a spiny, deciduous shrub, with arching 70 feet long and 10 inches in diameter. branches. Leaves: It has alternate, compound leaves comprised of seven to 13 Leaves: It has small oval to spoon shaped leaves with smooth mar- (Chinese) and 13 to 19 (Japanese) leaflets. Leaflets are tapered at the gins. They are arranged in clusters along the stem and turn red in fall. tip with wavy edges. Flowers & Fruit: Japanese barberry has tiny, pale yellow, dangling Flowers & Fruit: Its flowers are showy, fragrant, and violet to blue- flowers with six petal-like sepals and 6 smaller petals. They hang sin- violet and bloom in April and May. Fruits are velvety brown, bean- gly or in clusters of 2 to 4 blossoms from the nodes. They are insect like pods, 4 to 6 inches long. pollinated and bloom in April and May. Its fruits are small, bright Stems: It has a whitish bark and the vines twine clockwise around red, egg-shaped berries with dry flesh that are about 0.4 in. long. the host plant (as viewed from the top). Wisteria sinensis twines They ripen in midsummer but remain on stems into winter. counter-clockwise. Stems: Barberry’s arching stems are deeply grooved, with single spines at each node. Its twigs and young stems turn reddish brown in winter and the older stems are gray. The inner bark and wood are yel- low.