Chicago Botanic Garden - 26 Gardens

Invasive name	Attractive characteristics	Alternative name	Attractive characteristics
Herbaceous Plants
Lythrum salicaria - Purple Loosestrife	Midsummer blooms, showy purple flowers, prefers moist conditions	Liatris spp. - Blazing Star	Similar, but flowers more pink
		Asclepias incarnata - Swamp Milkweed	Flowers purple and in axils of leaves
		Physostegia virginiana 'Vivid' - Obedience Plant	Similar
Lysimachia nummularia - Moneywort	Delicate creeping ground cover	Chrysogonum virginianum - Goldenstar	Similar
	Yellow flower
	Shade-tolerant	Viola pubescens - Yellow Violet	Similar
		Ranunculus repens and R. septontrionalis - Swamp & Yellow buttercups	Similar
		Sedum ternatum - Mountain Stonecrop	White flowers; semi-shade; native
Phalaris arundinacea - Ribbon Grass P.a. 'Picta'	Attractive, spreading grass, white variegation	Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus' - Variegated Eulalia	White variegation on moisture-loving ornamental grass
		Spartina pectinata 'Aureomarginata' - Variegated Prairie Cord Grass	Attractive spreading native grass, golden leaf margin, thrives in moist areas
Phragmites australis - Common Reed	Large showy seed heads. Often used in flower arrangement	Erianthus ravennae - Ravenna Grass	Large showy flowers
Iris pseudacorus - Yellow Iris	Showy late spring blooms	Iris virginica var. shrevei - Interior Blue Flag	Helps stabilize shorelines and streambanks
	Grows well in wet areas and on lakeshores and streambanks		Beautiful purple flowers in late spring

Vines & Ground Covers
Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle	Floriferous ground cover shrubby vine	Lonicera x heckrottii - Everblooming Honeysuckle	Twining vines, yellow & red flowers
	Flowers yellow, tinged pink, fragrant	Lonicera dioica - Red Honeysuckle
		Stephanandra incisa - Cutleaf Stephanandra	Nice leaves, same cascading effect
		Cotoneaster apiculatus - Cranberry or Hess Cotoneaster	Nice leaves, same cascading effect
Celastrus orbiculatus - Oriental Bittersweet	Climbing vine with bright orange & red late berries	Celastrus scandens - American Bittersweet	Similar
		Aristolochia durior - Dutchman's Pipe	Vigorous, exotic leaves
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata - Porcelain Ivy	Clinging vine with large grape-like leaves, many-colored berries	Parthenocissus tricuspidata - Boston Ivy	Covers walls, purple fruit, red fall color
A.b. 'Elegans'	Multicolored leaves with berries as above	P. quinquefolia ' Star Showers' - Star Showers Virginia creeper	Scattered white variegation
		Actinidia kolomitka - Kolomikta Actinidia	Leaves splotched with pink & white
Euonymus fortunei -Wintercreeper Euonymus	Evergreen ground cover; turns purple in winter	Lonicera henryi - Henry Honeysucklee	Vigorous ground cover
		Asarum canadense and A. europaeum Wild and European Ginger	Nice rounded leaves. Spreads slowly, appreciates shade.
		Helleborus- Hellebore	Semi-evergreem glossy leaves, but doesn't spread
Aegopodium podagraria - Goutweed	Low, dark green herbaceous ground cover	Asarum canadense - Wild Ginger	All have attractive leaves and tolerate shade
		Epimedium - Bishop's Cap
		Pachysandra procumbens - Alleghany Pachysandra

Shrubs
Rhamnus cathartica and Rhamnus frangula - Common and Glossy Buckthorn	Glossy foliage that persists into winter; nice barrier plant, understory	Thuja occidentalis and T. plicata - American Arborvitae and Western Arborvitae	Evergreen barrier/screen
		Alnus rugosa - Speckled Alder	Interesting fruit
		Carpinus caroliniana - American Hornbeam	Attractive bark
		Corylus americana - American Hazelnut	Big shrub, nuts for squirrels, fall color
Lonicera tatarica and Lonicera maackii - Honeysuckles	Fine-textured foliage, sweet-scented pink or yellow flowers, a lot of fruit	Amelanchier - Serviceberry	Attractive leaves, flowers, fruits & fall color
		Kolkwitzia amabilis - Beautybush	Attractive flowers, exfoliating bark
		Calycanthus floridus - Carolina Allspice	Attractive long-lasting flowers, fragrant foliage
		Sambucus canadensis and S. pubens - American Elderberry and American Red Elderberry	Attractive flowers, edible, black and red fruit
Rosa multiflora - Multiflora Rose	Arching canes with thorns	any modern shrub rose or natives, such as:	Can also be used for naturalizing or barrier hedge
		Rosa palustris - Swamp Rose
		Rosa blanda - Early Wild Rose
		Rosa carolina - Pasture Rose
		Rosa setigera - Prairie Rose
Elaeagnus umbellatus - Cherry Elaeagnus	Small trees with silver foliage and irregular "picturesque" growth habits; take poor soils	Pyrus salicifolia - Willowleaf Pear	Very attractive silver leaves
		Shepherdia argentea - Silver Buffaloberry	Similar; needs male and female trees for fruit (birds like), has rather untidy habit
Berberis thunbergii - Japanese Barberry	Fine-textured foliage, often purple, red berries	Ilex verticillata - Winterberry Holly	Red fruit
		Cotoneaster divaricatus - Spreading Cotoneaster	Fine texture, fall color
		Buxus cvs. - Boxwood ('Glencoe', 'Green Velvet')	Fine texture, evergreen, deer-resistant
B.t. purple forms		Cotinus coggygria - Smokebush (purple forms)
Euonymus alatus - Burning Bush	Brilliant red fall color, formal vase-shaped growth habits, small leaves, corky bark	Lindera benzoin - Spicebush	Yellow fall color, red berries, shade tolerant
		Aronia arbutifolia - Red Chokeberry	Red fall color and berries
		A. melanocarpa - Black Chokeberry	Red fall color, black berries
		Fothergilla major - Large Fothergilla	White bottlebrush flowers, red/yellow fall color
		Itea virginica - Virginia Sweetspire	White flowers in June, red fall color, small shrub
E. alatus - tree form	Multi-stem, small tree form	Viburnum prunifolium - Blackhaw	White flowers, purple fruit, red fall color

Trees
Alnus glutimosa	Medium tree with winter interest of small cones (strobiles); moisture-tolerant	Betula nigra - River Birch	Medium tree with exfoliating bark; moisture-tolerant
Robinia pseudoacacia - Black Locust	Large upright tree, fine texture, fragrant white flowers	Cladrastis lutea - American Yellowwood	Similar, smaller scale with fragrant white flowers, warm yellow fall color
		Maackia amurensis - Amur Maackia	Similar, smaller scale
		Gleditsia triacanthos - Honeylocust	Larger scale, flowers not attractive
		Taxodium distichum - Baldcypress	Fine texture, large upright
Ailanthus altissima - Tree-of-Heaven	Large tree with exotic large compound leaves	Gymnocladus dioica - Kentucky Coffeetree	Large exotic leaves, big shade tree
		Rhus typhina - Sumacs	Large exotic leaves, large shrub, nice fall color
		Aralia spinosa - Devil's Walking-Stick	Large exotic leaves, purple fruit, thorny
Acer platanoides - Norway Maple	Large tree, makes dense shade	Acer saccharum - Sugar Maple	Red and yellow fall color
		Ginkgo biloba - Ginkgo	Street tree, yellow fall color
		Tilia americana - American Linden	Pyramidal habit
		Quercus rubra - Red Oak	Pyramidal to round habit
		Liriodendron tulipifera - Tulip tree	Large shade tree, flowers
Populus alba- White Poplar	Attractive silver leaves and pale bark	Tilia tomentosa - Silver Linden	Silver leaves, pyramidal form
		Populus tremuloides - Quaking Aspen	Alternative poplar; leaves not silver, but great yellow fall color
Ulmus pumila - Siberian Elm	Medium large tree with no redeeming value	Ulmus parvifolia- Chinese Elm, Lacebark Elm Ginkgo biloba - Ginkgo	Fine-textured leaves, attractive mottled bark Street tree; yellow fall color

Find out more:

• Invasive Plants in the Chicago Region
• What Is an Invasive Plant?
• Chicago Botanic Garden Invasive Plants Policy
• What Can You Do?

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Last revised on 5/12/04

Dec	MAR	Apr
	10
2004	2005	2006

Invasive name

Attractive characteristics

Alternative name

Attractive characteristics