Our Latest Invasives Profiles

Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria) is an invasive perennial plant native to Europe and northern Asia that was introduced to North America in the mid-1800s as an ornamental plant. Goutweed spreads rapidly through an extensive network of underground stems called rhizomes and can regrow from small rhizome fragments.

Periwinkle (Vinca minor and Vinca major) is an invasive evergreen groundcover native to Eurasia, the Mediterranean region, and northern Africa that was introduced to North America as an ornamental plant. Still commonly planted in gardens, periwinkle can escape into natural areas where it spreads rapidly, forming dense mats.

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is an invasive perennial plant native to Europe and Asia that was introduced to North America in the 1800s. Known for its showy spikes of purple flowers, it invades wetlands and other moist habitats where it can form dense stands that crowd out native vegetation.

Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus) is an invasive aquatic plant native to Eurasia and North Africa that was introduced to North America as an ornamental plant. Known for its showy yellow flowers, it grows along shorelines and in wetlands, ponds, streams, and other wet habitats.