15 Most Invasive Trees in the World

The Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) has recently published a report on the world´s worst 100 invasive species.  Of the 100 species listed there are 15 tree species. 

  • African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata)
  • Black wattle  (Acacia mearnsii)  close cousin in to the Silver wattle (A. dealbata)
  • Brazilian pepper tree  (Schinus terebinthifolius)
  • Cluster pine  (Pinus pinaster)
  • Erect prickly pear  (Opuntia stricta)
  • Fire tree  (Myrica faya)
  • leucaena  (Leucaena leucocephala)
  • melaleuca  (Melaleuca quinquenervia)
  • mesquite  (Prosopis glandulosa)
  • Giant Sensitive tree  (Mimosa pigra)
  •  privet  (Ligustrum  robustum)
  • pumpwood  (Cecropia peltata)
  • Quinine tree  (Cinchona pubescens)
  • Shuebutton ardisia  (Ardisia elliptica)
  • Strawberry guava  (Psidium cattleianum)
  • tamarisk  (Tamarix ramosissima) 

Source...
http://www.issg.org/publications.htm#worst100

100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species
Lowe S. J., M. Browne and S. Boudjelas (2000)
Published by the IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG),
Auckland, New Zealand.

Some images of the these trees (or their close cousins)

(African tulip tree)

(Wattle)

(Brazilian pepper tree)

(Prickly Pear)

(leucaena)

(Tamarisk)

3 comments:

  1. Interesting collection of trees. I don't believe these are even warm climate trees. Mimosa is our worst tree here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Humanity has celebrated the invaders when they succeed; to the victor go the spoils. Why not in plants? In general, humans alter the landscape which creates the niches that these invasive plants are now filling. They are, perhaps , righting our wrongs by maintaining (?!) plant cover. How is it that with our thousand years experience we still can't see the forest for the trees ?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm very surprised that the Sycamore
    (Acer pseudoplatanus)is not on the list. In Tasmania, Australia it is one of our most invasive trees.

    ReplyDelete