elcome to Myakka River State Park Help Control Invasive Plants by Keeping Them — a place to experience Florida’s rich Out of Your Landscape at Home plant and animal life. While you’re here, Invasive Plants Preventing the introduction and spread of invasive Wwe’d like to bring attention to some invasive plants plants in Florida is the most effective and least that are a serious ecological threat within this park expensive means of protecting Florida’s natural and other natural areas throughout the state. habitats. Here are a few things we can all do: You What Is An Invasive Plant? Learn more about invasive plants: Of the more than 4,000 plant species found in Florida, http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/invplant.html hould 1,300 or more are non-native* or exotic; they come Volunteer to help remove invasive plants in your area. S from other countries or from other regions within Inspect your yard for invasive plants; discard them in Know the U.S. At least 130 of these exotic plant species are Water hyacinth on the St. John’s River, Palatka 1968 household trash (don’t compost). spreading rapidly throughout our natural areas. When they cause environmental or economic harm, they are Practice good stewardship: don’t transport invasive considered to be invasive. plants to other areas and never empty your aquarium into a Why Should We Care? body of water, not even a canal. So, What’s The Problem? Invasive plants are costing Floridians a lot of money; Avoid chopping aquatic plants with boat propellers as In their native ranges, plants generally do not become nearly 80 million taxpayer dollars were spent in 2005 some plant fragments can grow into new infestations. a nuisance. Today, with modern transportation, many to control them. If not kept in check, invasive plants Remove plant fragments from boats/trailers after use; can create ideal breeding grounds for mosquitos, cause exotic plants have caught a free ride to Florida. Once check clothing, shoes, and pets for seeds after hiking. here, they are free from natural enemies that existed serious navigation blockages, and major flooding in their home range (insects, diseases, etc.), and can problems during storms. Boating, swimming, hiking Ask your nursery or garden center for native and/or non-invasive plants. outgrow and replace Florida’s native plants. and other uses of natural areas can also be made diffi- cult, even dangerous, by invasive plant infestations. Watch for and report invasive plants found in this When Invasive Plants Replace Native Plants: park; note the location and tell a ranger. Native plants can be permanently eliminated, Keeping Things Under Control Take guided walks at state parks to learn about diminishing Florida’s natural diversity; After much research, we know that some invasive Florida’s native plants and animals. Animals that use native plants are often unable to plant species will never be eradicated in Florida; they adapt, so they may leave the area or die out; simply reproduce too fast. That is why we strive to keep them at the lowest feasible levels. The regular Invasive aquatic plants can completely fill the maintenance of invasive plants lessens overall environ- water column, driving fish and wildlife from the area. mental and economic damages and maintains habitat for native flora and fauna. * The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council defines an exotic (non- native) species as one introduced to Florida, purposefully or accidentally, from a natural range outside of Florida. A natural- Control of invasive plants allows greater enjoyment of our waters ized exotic is one that is self-sustaining outside of cultivation. and natural areas, and preserves Florida’s natural diversity. Myakka River Park staff controlling an air potato infestation State Park Sarasota, Florida www.floridastateparks.org/myakkariver Kudzu infestation (941) 361-6511 6/10 Hymenachne amplexicaulis Identifying Invasive Plants Previously promoted as a pasture grass, West Indian The non-native plants in this brochure have marsh grass is occasionally found growing in wet proven to be invasive in our park and region pastures. It can form extensive colonies in its native and are currently being controlled by park staff, range and in Florida it is displacing native maiden- contractors and volunteers. Do you recognize cane communities (Panicum hemitomon) in natural any of them? Read on to learn more about these aquatic and wetland habitats. It is difficult to control quiet invaders. along drainage canals of south central Florida. Lygodium microphyllum Dioscorea bulbifera Old World climbing fern is native to Asia and A vine introduced around 1905, air potato was already Australia. It climbs into trees and shades out native recognized as a pest plant throughout the state by the Dioscorea bulbifera Hymenachne amplexicaulis vegetation in hundreds of acres in Florida. Dense air potato - vine; long stems; round, aerial tubers West Indian marsh grass - aquatic grass; leaves with growth of this fern can be a fire hazard, enabling early 1970s. This attractive plant can quickly grow 60- broad clasping base 70 feet — long enough to overtop and shade out tall ground fires to reach into tree canopies where flames trees. A member of the yam family, air potato vines can kill the growing branches. This is a perfect produce large numbers of aerial potato-like tubers, example of how invasive exotic plants can change which fall to the ground and grow into new vines. ecological processes in plant communities. They are not considered edible. Schinus terebinthifolius Imperata cylindrica Brazilian pepper infests both aquatic and terres- Cogon grass is considered one of the ten worst trial habitats, greatly reducing the quality of native weeds in the world and is reported by 73 countries as habitats in the state. It was probably introduced as an a pest in at least 35 crops. Native to warm regions, it ornamental in the mid 1800s from South America. It was brought into the U.S. as an experimental forage infests south Florida, and though it is not particularly crop and as packing material. It is a serious weed of cold-hardy, this tree spreading north on both coasts. dry lands in Florida, but also occurs in areas that become briefly flooded. It can infest large areas and has invaded the habitats of federally listed endangered Imperata cylindrica Lygodium microphyllum and threatened native plant species. cogon grass - midrib off-center (see inset above); Old World climbing fern - vine with two “leaf” margins sharp; white, plume-like inflorescence types: 1) simple, 2) lobed with sporangia along margins Melaleuca quinquenervia Introduced to Florida for ornament in 1906, melaleuca seeds were scattered aerially over the Everglades in the 1930s to dry the land. Once touted as “one of Florida’s best landscape trees,” it is now recognized as a threat to the Florida Everglades, a World Heri- tage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. Melaleuca grows extremely fast and produces millions of seeds, creating dense stands that displace native plants and diminish animal habitat. Mature trees can withstand fire and severe frost. Plant descriptions excerpted from Identification & Biology of Non-Native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas by K. A. Lange- Melaleuca quinquenervia land, H. M. Cherry, C. M. McCormick, and K. A. Craddock Schinus terebinthifolius Identify plants in your own neighborhood: Burks, Second Edition, 2008. University of Florida-IFAS. melaleuca - tree to 33m; terrestrial to aquatic; Brazilian pepper - tree to 13m; berries bright red; flowers resemble a bottle brush crushed leaf smells of turpentine http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/parks.