Organism Role Cards (30 species) air potato Dioscorea bulbifera INVASIVE air potato • Air potato is a terrestrial climbing vine with aĴractive heartȬshape leavesǯ • Air potato is native to tropical Asia an nonȬnative an invasive in loriaǯ • ew plants sprot rom potatoȬlie blbils which are on between the stem an the leaǯ he plant spreas when the blbils all to the gronǯ n aitionǰ large tbers grow nergron an store ntrients or the plantǯ • he air potato is not nown to be eaten b¢ an¢ native animalsǰ althogh a beetle has been importe or biological control prposesǯ t eats the leaves o air potato vinesǯ Air potato tbers are sall¢ biĴer an UF/IFAS CAIP UF/IFAS poisonosǯ PROS CONS • his plant tens to invae open areas or ȃistrbeȄ lanǯ • t can grow p to eight inches a a¢ǯ let nmanageǰ it can icl¢ grow over garensǰ treesǰ an even bilingsǰ causing them to be completel¢ covereǯ • eople lie to grow this plant because o the preĴ¢ tropicalȬlooing leavesǯ This information card is part of the natural resource activity /DNHYLOOH developed by the Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative SODQWVLIDVXÀHGXHGXFDWLRQ Copyright 2012 University of Florida American alligator Alligator mississippiensis NATIVE American alligator • Alligators are sometimes calle ȃliving ossilsȄ because their species has survive on earth or ŘŖŖ million ¢earsǯ • Alligators are top preators in the oo chainǯ he¢ eat ęshǰ birsǰ turtlesǰ snaesǰ an amphibiansǯ • he American alligator is native to the outheastern ǯǯ t resies almost e¡clusivel¢ in reshwater riversǰ laesǰ swampsǰ an marshesǯ • A mother alligator eens the nest rom preators an helps her hatchlings get to the water once the¢ are bornǯ he will provie protection or about a ¢earǰ i the oěspring sta¢ in the areaǯ UF/IFAS photo by Tom Wright Tom photo by UF/IFAS • Alligator meat is eibleǰ especiall¢ meat rom the tail PROS CONS sectionǯ • n loriaǰ some alligators are grown on armsǯ eat an proucts mae rom their hie ǻleather walletsǰ beltsǰ bootsǰ etcǯǼ generate about ǞŗŜ million each ¢earǯ he arms help protect wil alligator populationsǯ • he largest alligator ever recore in loria was ŗŝ eet ś inches ǻśǯř metersǼǰ accoring to the verglaes ational ar websiteǯ This information card is part of the natural resource activity /DNHYLOOH developed by the Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative SODQWVLIDVXÀHGXHGXFDWLRQ Copyright 2012 University of Florida Burmese python ¢ȱȱĴ INVASIVE Burmese python • he urmese p¢thon is a giant nonȬvenomous constrictor snae that can grow up to ŘŖŖ pouns an over ŘŖ eet longǯ t is not native to loria an is now spreaing rapil¢ in the wilǯ • urmese p¢thons are rom nia to lower hinaǰ the ala¢ eninsulaǰ an islans o the ast niesǯ • he¢ are e¡cellent swimmers an climbers an hunt in both auatic an terrestrial environmentsǯ n the verglaesǰ p¢thons ee on native alligatorsǰ ęshǰ eer an waing birs ǻlimpins an white ibisesǼǯ he¢ have also been oun in the loria e¢s pre¢ing on enangere e¢ argo wooratsǯ • othing pre¢s on urmese p¢thonsǰ e¡cept the Skip Snow, Bugwood 5369653 Skip Snow, occasional large alligatorǯ ¢thon eggs are sometimes eaten b¢ other animalsǯ PROS CONS • urmese p¢thons compete for space an foo with native snaes lie the eastern iamonbac an the eastern inigoǯ • ¢thons are no longer allowe as petsǯ oweverǰ loriians can now hunt p¢thons in illife anagement Areas if the¢ obtain a permitǯ • cientists preict that urmese p¢thons coul survive throughout loriaǯ This information card is part of the natural resource activity /DNHYLOOH developed by the Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative SODQWVLIDVXÀHGXHGXFDWLRQ Copyright 2012 University of Florida Organism Role Cards (30 species) Canadian waterweed Elodea canadensis NATIVE Canadian waterweed • anaian waterwee is a submerse plantǯ t lives entirel¢ unerwater with the e¡ception of small white Ěowers that bloom at the surface an are aĴache to the plant b¢ elicate stalsǯ • t provies habitat for man¢ auatic insects an provies cover for ¢oung ęshǰ frogsǰ an turtlesǯ aterfowl ǻespeciall¢ ucsǼǰ beaverǰ an musrat eat this plantǯ • n parts of uropeǰ Australiaǰ Africaǰ Asiaǰ an ew ealanǰ waterwee has create a signięcant problem UF/IFAS photo by William Haller UF/IFAS an is now consiere a no¡ious weeǯ PROS CONS • aterwee loos similar to h¢rilla an other invasive plants sol in the auarium traeǯ ecause it is nonȬ invasive in loriaǰ it is a goo substitute for these plantsǯ • t is economicall¢ important as an auarium plantǯ oweverǰ it is consiere an invasive species in regon an is illegal to sell thereǯ This information card is part of the natural resource activity /DNHYLOOH developed by the Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative SODQWVLIDVXÀHGXHGXFDWLRQ Copyright 2012 University of Florida cat-tails Typha species NATIVE • atȬtails are among the most common of all auatic cat-tails an wetlan plants an provie ieal habitat for man¢ birsǰ frogsǰ an insectsǯ • everal parts of the plant can be eaten incluing the unergroun stems an the leaf baseǯ he Ěower spie can even be eaten lie corn on the cobǯ hese plants were a common foo source for the ative Americansǯ • arl¢ Americans also use the absorbent Ěuě from the catȬtail see heas for iapersǯ • oa¢ǰ scientists are e¡perimenting with catȬtail see Ěuě to see if it can UF/IFAS CAIP UF/IFAS be use in cleaning up oil spillsǯ • atȬtails also are being consiere as PROS CONS a cropǯ • ometimes catȬtails are unpopular because the¢ can grow lie wees in laes or stormwater retention ponsǯ his happens mostl¢ in urban laes where there are a lot of e¡tra nutrients from rainwater runoě or in areas where the lan has been isturbeǯ • uring long perios of r¢ weatherǰ catȬtails can be an important foo for caĴle that are luc¢ enough to have access to these plants growing near a pon or laeǯ This information card is part of the natural resource activity /DNHYLOOH developed by the Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative SODQWVLIDVXÀHGXHGXFDWLRQ Copyright 2012 University of Florida coconut palm coconut palm Cocos nucifera NON-NATIVE • he coconut palm tree is wiesprea throughout the tropics an believe to be native to the ala¢ Archipelago or the outh acięcǯ t is terrestrialǰ normall¢ foun along san¢ shorelinesǯ • oconut palm trees are an important foo sourceǯ he eible ęber insie the coconut ǻor seeǼ is tast¢ an nutritiousǯ o is the water¢ liui insie the nutǯ • oconut mil is mae b¢ cooing grate coconut in water or milǯ • an¢ useful proucts can be mae from coconut palm tree materialsǯ eaves can be use for Seafavorites.com broomsǰ basetsǰ or even rooęng materialǯ he hus an shells can be use for fuel or to mae PROS CONS charcoalǯ heir truns can be use as builing materialsǯ • n loriaǰ coconut palms are valuable ecorative plantsǯ • he¢ can tolerate salt¢ habitatsǰ which is wh¢ the¢ are often foun growing near the oceanǯ oweverǰ coconut palms canȂt tolerate col weatherǯ he¢ can be amage or ille b¢ free£ing weatherǯ • he¢ are great shae trees as long as a coconut oesnȂt fall on ¢ouǯ alling coconuts have been nown to inure peopleǯ This information card is part of the natural resource activity /DNHYLOOH developed by the Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative SODQWVLIDVXÀHGXHGXFDWLRQ Copyright 2012 University of Florida Organism Role Cards (30 species) duck potato Ĵȱ NATIVE duck potato • uc potato is an emerse auatic plant foun along shorelines of ponsǰ laesǰ stormwater rainage itchesǰ an in shallow wetlansǯ • ucs lie to eat the sees of this plantǯ eavers an musrats lie to eat the whole plantǰ incluing the burie tubersǯ • his plant has an aĴractive white Ěower that prouces pollen an nectar for bumblebees an haw mothsǯ • uc potato prouces starch¢ unergroun tubers that were an important foo source for ative Americans ¢ears agoǯ t is still UF/IFAS CAIP UF/IFAS harveste an eaten toa¢Dz the tubers taste lie chestnuts or PROS CONS potatoesǯ • n parts of urope an Australiaǰ it is consiere an invasive plantǯ • he plant provies habitat along laeshores for ¢oung ęsh an waterfowl ǻucsǼǯ This information card is part of the natural resource activity /DNHYLOOH developed by the Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative SODQWVLIDVXÀHGXHGXFDWLRQ Copyright 2012 University of Florida eel-grass Vallisneria americana NATIVE eel-grass • elȬgrass is a submerse auatic plant commonl¢ foun in laesǰ streamsǰ an springs throughout loriaǯ t can even tolerate bracish ǻsalt¢Ǽ waterǯ ts leaves are about one inch wie an can grow to several feet longǯ • t is becoming harer to ęnǰ now that h¢rilla has been introuce to man¢ loria watersǯ ater clarit¢ is also reuce in some laes an rivers because of seimentationǰ an this is impacting eel grassǯ • elȬgrass forms tallǰ unerwater meaows that are beautiful to see when swimming or snorelingǯ by Joe Richard, Seafavorites.com ecause of its long tapeȬlie leavesǰ it is sometimes calle PROS CONS tape grassǯ • el grass provies valuable habitat for all ins of freshwater ęshǰ snailsǰ turtlesǰ an auatic insects lie ragonĚ¢ larvaeǯ t is also an important foo source for native loria apple snails an turtlesǯ • his plant is important to the auarium inustr¢ as one of the topȬselling auarium plantsǯ This information card is part of the natural resource activity /DNHYLOOH developed by the Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative SODQWVLIDVXÀHGXHGXFDWLRQ Copyright 2012 University of Florida fragrant water lily Nymphaea odorata NATIVE fragrant water lily • he fragrant water lil¢ is an auatic ĚoatingȬleave plantǯ he leavesǰ also calle pasǰ Ěoat on the surfaceǯ ts long leaf stals are aĴache to rhi£omes ǻrootsǼ own in the muǯ • his water lil¢ can be