Invasive Plant ID
The following invasive plants are some of the most commonly observed species in Central Texas. This guide will help make field identifications.
Glossy Privet
Ligustrum Lucidum
Fast-growing, evergreen tree up to 35’ tall
Glossy, dark green leaves, opposite, simple
Dusty, drooping, dark blue berry clusters
Multiple, tightly-grouped trunks with pale grey bark
Chinaberry
Melia azedarach
Large deciduous tree up to 50’ tall
Smooth reddish bark with white spots when young. Bark is grey and furrowed when mature
Dark green, alternate, bipinnately compound leaves with serrated edges
Clusters of small, lilac flowers, developing into golden, drooping clusters of fruits that persist through the winter
Chinese Pistache
Pistacia chinensis
15-25’ tall with a single-trunked, symmetrical form
Splotchy gray-brown bark, flakes with age
Pinnately compound leaves, usually with an even number of leaflets. Leaves do not have a terminal leaflet.
On female trees, small red to blue berry clusters
Bright yellow and red foliage in fall
Leaves have an unpleasant odor when crushed
Often mistaken for Western soapberry
Chinese Raintree
Koelreuteria paniculata
Bright yellow flowers, followed by papery, pink, lantern-like seed pods
Compound, alternating serrated leaves, medium green color
Bright golden foliage in the fall
Light brown bark, thin plates once mature
Chinese Tallow
Triadica sebifera
25-35’ tall
Simple, glossy leaves with pointed tip
Beige flaky bark
bright yellow and red foliage in fall
Taiwanese Photinia
Photinia serratifolia
10-20’ tall with bushy growth
Simple serrated leaves
Glossy leaves, dark green to burgundy
Smooth and dark reddish-brown to gray bark
Nandina
Nandina domestica
Multi-stemmed, evergreen shrub, 4-8’ tall
Dark green-red pinnately compound leaves
Bright red berry clusters atop of each plant in fall-winter
Thin, long trunk with woody, brown bark, and fissures near the base
Giant Reed
Arundo donax
Tall, perennial cane, up to 20’
Thin, elongated leaves, often 1-2’ long
Very dense and aggressive root rhizome
Large plume of flowers at top of stalk
KR Bluestem
Bothriochloa ischaemum var. songarica
Aggressive, erect bunchgrass 18-48” tall
Stems turn a straw color when mature
“V-shaped pattern” seed head, light green to burgundy
Fine white hairs visible on stem joints
Johnsongrass
Fast-growing, warm-season perennial grass 36-72” tall
Rhizomatic growth, often grows in patches
Long, fibrous leaf blades with thin white stripe through center
Round, cylindrical stem
Noticeable light green to burgundy panicle seed head
Sorghum halepense
Japanese Honeysuckle
Lonicera japonica
Vigorous, spreading vine, 15-30’
Opposite, simple, ovate, dark green leaves.
Soft in texture
New leaves produced in spring are often highly lobed
Small white and yellow flowers spring-fall
Sweet Autumn Clematis
Clematis terniflora
Beautiful but aggressive flowering vine, climbing 15-30’
Small cream-white, 4-petaled blooms in fall
Semievergreen shiny compound leaves with 3-5 elliptic leaflets