You know, Florida has a real pest problem. And yes, that includes invasive species and animal pests of all kinds. But, that’s not what we’re talking about today. We’re talking about plants. Florida pest plants. Just like with the animals like the python and the tegu, Florida has invasive plants that are choking out our ecosystems, and today we’ll go ahead and discuss a few of them.
Florida Pest Plants: Overview
To start with, we’ll be discussing the more invasive of Florida’s pest plants. Either an invasive exotic, a.k.a. a species that has expanded into the sunshine state outside of its natural range. Or a noxious weed, an exotic species that is listed in state regulations as a pest of agriculture or invader of natural areas.
Shoebutton
We’ll begin with a plant introduced a century ago as the latest fad in decorative landscaping. It’s young leaves are pink and its berries are purple. This member of the Florida pest plants crew is called the shoebutton ardisia. And within decades of its introduction it began to invade our forests and wetlands. Shoebutton is a problem plant across mid and southern Florida.
Its berries have fueled its expansion according to wetland ecologists. Birds and other animals see the brightly colored berries and eat them. Then, they move or fly around and deposit the seeds in new locations with their poop. These seeds then erupt into new mature plants that produce their own berries in as short as one year. Sadly, a single plant can produce hundreds of fruits and thousands of seeds.
More on Shoebutton
There are several characteristics to look for to identify the plant, which often grows beneath the canopy of other trees. Some can reach up to 12 to 15 feet tall. The Southeast Asia native is called shoebutton. This is because its berries resembled fat buttons on button-up shoes from the late 1800s, which required a shoe hook to fasten, said Burzycki. New stems and leaves are pink colored when they first come in and turn green as they mature. The leaves are around eight inches long and thin. They have pale purple flowers that cluster where the leaves attach to the plant. Therafter, it develops into dark purple berries that look like just slightly squished grapes.
Shoebutton has no predators in Florida. No insects that eat the seeds in the berries to prevent them from sprouting or chew on the leaves to kill the plant. That means nothing is here to stop it’s growth or reproduction, so it’s free to outcompete native plants that our ecosystems rely on. This really is one of the most relentless of the Florida pest plants
Brazilian Pepper Tree
The next tree on our Florida pest plants list is probably one of the most invasive species of plants in the country. The Brazilian pepper tree. This tree covers over seven hundred thousand acres of land in the sunshine state. It’s aggressively invasive and it’s thick canopy shades out any plants that grow near it. Like many other species in the family Anacardiaceae, Brazilian pepper has an aromatic sap that can cause skin reactions (similar to poison ivy burns) in some sensitive people.
As a member of the Schinus genus, it is known as a “pepper tree,” although it is not a true pepper. Even so, Schinus molle or the Peruvian Pepper, a close relative of the Brazilian Pepper, is the source of the pink peppercorns that you sometimes see in gourmet pepper mills. Additionally, Brazilian Pepper is also known as “Hawaiian Christmas Berry” or “Florida Holly”, This is because its red berries mature in December/ January and are sometimes used as Christmas decorations. Genus name comes from the Greek name schinos for the mastic tree which this genus resembles in that the trees exude a mastic-like juice. Specific epithet means pertaining to turpentine and foliage. Supposedly, for the aromatic foliage.
More on the Brazilian Pepper Tree
The “Florida holly”, Schinus terebinthifolia was introduced to Florida by at the latest 1891, probably earlier, where it has spread rapidly since about 1940, replacing native plants, like mangroves, with thousands of acres occupied. It is especially adept at colonizing disturbed sites. As a result, it will grow in both wet and dry conditions. Its growth habit allows it to climb over understory trees and invade mature canopies, forming thickets that choke out most other plants.
The species, including the seed, is legally prohibited from sale, transport, or planting in Florida. Consequently, this is one of the most notorious of the Florida pest plants
Florida Pest Plants: Skunkvine
And finally, last, on our list we have the Skunkvine. Here in central Florida where it’s warm year-round, this plant is evergreen. It gets its name from the smell it makes. Skunkvine, when crushed or broken, makes a smell that’s not unlike a broken sewer pipe. Additionally, crushed leaves release a sulfuric odor.
Despite its smell, skunkvine was often planted as an ornamental. Or, allowed to keep growing when it was discovered, because it can be attractive. The leaves are opposite – meaning two leaves at a node – and leaf shape is remarkably variable. In late summer, skunkvine produces small, tubular flowers that are pinkish-white to grayish-white with a ruby-colored throat. The flowers are followed by an abundance of pea-sized, berry-like fruit that matures into golden-orange capsules. A single large vine is capable of producing thousands of seeds in a single growing season.
More on the Skunkvine
Skunkvine is native to temperate and tropical areas of Asia. This tree was imported to Florida in the late 1800s as a potential fiber crop. However, it soon escaped from cultivation and is now found in at least 30 counties throughout Florida. Moreover, Skunkvine is aggressively invasive. Consequently, it is regulated as a noxious weed in Florida. This means it is illegal to sell, import, grow, propagate, or transport this plant.
And, much like the other two invasive plants, this one is a master at destroying our local ecology. Moreover, It thrives in a variety of Florida habitats and outcompetes our native plants. In th esame fashion, it’s such a voracious grower that it can weigh down trees and cause them to fall over in heavy rains and high winds.
