This guide helps you distinguish between "green and lush" and "ecologically destructive." Many of these plants look beautiful but act as biological pollution, suppressing the native ecosystem we are working to restore.
1. "Do Not Cut" (Critical)
Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
- Why it’s dangerous: This tree has a "hydra" root system. If you cut it down like a normal tree, the roots will panic and send up hundreds of new shoots (suckers) up to 50 feet away.
- Identification: Smooth gray bark (looks like cantaloupe skin); large compound leaves that smell like rancid peanut butter when crushed.
- Management: Do NOT cut it down. You must use a "Hack and Squirt" method (making cuts in the bark and applying herbicide) in late summer to kill the root system before removing the tree.
Form
Leaves & 'fruit'
CC BY 4.0 Cathy DeWitt
Bark
CC BY 4.0 Cathy DeWitt
2. The Vines (The Stranglers)
English Ivy (Hedera helix)
- The Threat: Harbors Bacterial Leaf Scorch (kills oaks/maples) and acts as a "ladder fuel" for fire. It only fruits/seeds when it climbs vertically.
- Management: The "Survival Cut." Do not rip vines off the bark (it damages the tree). Instead, cut a 6-inch gap in the vine at shoulder height and ankle height. Let the upper vines die and fall off naturally.
Oriental Bittersweet
(Celastrus orbiculatus)
- The Threat: It girdles trees, literally strangling them as they grow.
- ID Check: Look for Yellow capsules on red berries. (The native American Bittersweet has Orange capsules).
- Management: Cut the vine at the ground immediately. Remove any berries from the site to prevent reseeding.
Leaves & Stem
Douglas Goldman, USDA
CC BY-NC 4.0
Berries in the fall/winter
Douglas Goldman, USDA
CC BY-NC 4.0
Kudzu (Pueraria montana)
- The Threat: Can grow a foot a day, smothering tree canopies.
- Management: Frequent mowing creates a "starvation" effect for the roots. For established "crowns" (the head of the root), you must sever the root just below the soil surface.
Stem and Leaves
CameliaTWU CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Japanese Honeysuckle
(Lonicera japonica)
- The Threat: Twists around young saplings, deforming them.
- Native Look-Alike: Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) has trumpet-shaped red flowers and blue-green leaves. Keep the red, kill the white/yellow.
Flowers
Cathy Dewitt CC BY 4.0
3. The Shrubs (The Thickets)
Chinese & Japanese Privet
(Ligustrum spp.)
- The Threat: Forms dense monocultures in bottomlands (especially common in Charlotte creeks), preventing native hardwood regeneration.
- Management: "Cut and Paint." Cut the stump near the ground and immediately paint the cambium (outer ring) with a focused herbicide to prevent resprouting.
Chinese Privet (L. sinense)
Jon Sullivan CC BY-NC 2.0
Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus)
- The Threat: Popular in landscaping for its red fall color, but it escapes into forests and creates "shade deserts" where nothing else grows.
- Native Alternative: Blueberry or Virginia Sweetspire (both offer amazing red fall color without the ecological damage).
Burn-it Bush
Chercheur101 CC BY-SA 4.0
Nandina / Heavenly Bamboo
(Nandina domestica)
- The Threat: The berries contain cyanide and are toxic to Cedar Waxwings and other songbirds.
- Management: If you cannot remove the shrub immediately, cut off the flower/berry clusters every year to protect local wildlife.
Berries spread and choke birds
Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)
- ID Check: Look for the "fringed" stipule (hair-like structures at the base of the leaf stalk). Native roses do not have this.
- Management: Repeated cutting (3–6 times/year) or grubbing out the root ball.
Leaves & hips
Cyn Slaughter CC BY 4.0
4. Groundcover (The Carpets)
Japanese Stiltgrass
(Microstegium vimineum)
- The Threat: The #1 ground layer invader in NC. It creates a dense mat that stops native wildflowers from germinating.
- ID Check: A silvery, off-center stripe down the middle of the leaf.
- Management: Timing is everything. Mow or weed-whack it in late August, just before it sets seed. If you mow too early, it grows back. If you mow too late, you spread the seeds.
Stolons quickly spread across the ground
Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0
Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)
- The Threat: Incredibly aggressive, especially near water (common in Asheville). It can grow through asphalt and concrete foundations.
- Management: Do not mow. Mowing stimulates root spread. This plant almost always requires professional chemical injection or repeated smothering/cutting over 3+ years.
Leaves and flowers
Liz West CC BY 2.0
The "Native vs. Invasive" Cheat Sheet
Don't pull the wrong plant!
Invasive (Kill) | Native Look-Alike (Keep) | How to tell them apart |
Tree of Heaven | Sumac / Walnut | Sumac has red fuzzy fruit; Walnut has round green nuts and rough bark. Ailanthus smells bad. |
Oriental Bittersweet | American Bittersweet | Invasive has berries all along the stem; Native has berries only at the tips. |
Japanese Spirea | Native Spirea (S. tomentosa) | Native has a fuzzy, woolly underside on the leaves. |
Bradford Pear | Serviceberry / Dogwood | If it smells like rotting fish in spring, it’s a Bradford Pear. |
Bamboo (Phyllostachys) | River Cane (Arundinaria) | Native River Cane is generally shorter (<20ft) and has a "papery" sheath that stays on the stem. |
Stewardship Calendar: When to Act
- Late Winter (Jan-Feb): Cut vines (Ivy/Bittersweet) on trees. It's easier to see them when leaves are off. Also a good time to identify evergreen invasives.
- Spring (Mar-May): Pull Privet and small woody seedlings while the soil is moist.
- Late Summer (Aug-Sept): Mow Stiltgrass (before seeds set). Treat Tree of Heaven (especially during a waning moon when energy is moving to roots).
- Fall (Oct-Nov): Identify Burning Bush (bright red foliage) and Nandina and Bittersweet (red berries) and tag for removal.
