invasive Archives | Marek Landscaping

Plant of the Week: Invasive Epipactis helleborine

Justine — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 18:15:30 +0000

Plant of the Week! It’s the most interesting invasive species you’ve (maybe) never heard of! Epipactis helleborine is an invasive ORCHID. Orchids seem like fragile plants with super specific needs, not something to be compared with Garlic Mustard and Dame’s Rocket. Well, in this case both characteristics are true! Helleborine orchids rely on specific fungi to survive, and on wasps to reproduce. They attract the wasps by mimicking the scent of insect-damaged leaves, then get them to stick around by making them inebriated. Intrigued? Check out this article about Helleborine Orchid by In Defense of Plants. And if you have this interesting, but invasive plant in your yard, try to dig out the entire root system. Broken underground roots can grow new plants. (Photo from Wiscflora, http://wisflora.herbarium.wisc.edu/taxa/index.php?taxon=3529)

http://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2015/7/23/an-orchid-invader-with-an-interesting-ecology

Photo from Wiscflora, http://wisflora.herbarium.wisc.edu/taxa/index.php?taxon=3529

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Plant of the Week: A Brief History of Invasive Barberry

Justine — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 16:49:19 +0000

Plant of the Week! A brief history of the invasive Barberry. Two types of Berberis sp., Berberis vulgaris (Common) and Berberis thunbergii (Japanese) have escaped cultivation and caused damage to crops and native species for generations. Common Barberry is native to parts of Asia and was brought to the United States with European settlers in the 1600’s. It was a popular plant for its use as a hedge, producing fruits that were made into jam, and a yellow pigment that was used as a dye. By the 1900’s, however, Common Barberry was wreaking havoc on America’s wheat crops by acting as a host for a stem rust that affects grasses. From 1918 until the late 1970’s, the Barberry Eradication Program worked to kill the plant: over one million shrubs were killed in Minnesota alone. Meanwhile, Japanese Barberry, which first appeared in the US in the 1800’s, was being promoted as a rust-resistant alternative. Unfortunately, this plant also escaped cultivation, and is still a big problem in natural areas. Barberry is still sold in nurseries, including varieties that are said not to produce seed. However, reversion is not an uncommon occurance in plants, meaning that eventually even some of these “sterile” varieties might be able to produce seed in the future. The safest practice is to avoid Barberry altogether. Native alternatives include Glossy Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa var. ‘elata’), a native currant (Ribes spp.), or American Cranberrybush Viburnum (Viburnum trilobum).

To learn more about Japanese Barberry or Common Barberry, visit https://www.fs.fed.us/databa…/…/plants/shrub/berthu/all.html and https://www.fs.fed.us/databa…/…/plants/shrub/bervul/all.html. To learn more about the Barberry Eradication Program, check out this article:

Barberry war: Why the USDA spent more than 50 years trying to eradicate this thorny bush in Minnesota

(Thanks Wisconsin First Detector Network )!

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Plant of the Week: Acer platanoides

Justine — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 17:59:29 +0000

Plant of the Week! Wisconsin’s trees are in full fall glory right now, but one tree that you aren’t likely to be smitten by is Acer platanoides, Norway Maple. This tree, like many exotic invasive species, is still pretty darn green. The fact that this is a shared trait among many of the invasive plants is not a coincidence: their ability to produce energy for a longer period than the native species is one of the reasons that they are able to spread and outcompete. Other identifying characteristics of Norway Maple include round, fat buds, and somewhat of a sheen on the leaves.

Acer saccharum, Sugar Maple, has somewhat similar-looking leaves to Norway Maple. Some differences include fewer, more blunt points on the leaves, and sharp, dark buds.

Acer platanoides, Norway Maple, has many distinct points on the leaves and round, fat buds.

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