Wisteria: I had forgotten about this one as an invasive species.
What I have learned.
There is a native variety that’s not very invasive, but I do not know if the Wisteria
that grows here in Central Appalachia is native or exotic. Exotic varieties are
probably Japanese, Chinese, or from other temperate Asian countries. Some states
prohibit the plant, Wisconsin and Delaware were the ones I found. They come in
lavender, pink, purple, blue and white. They are legumes. (this one surprised me,
but I guess this is why the flowers are pea-like)
What Greg already knew:
They smell really really good. They have pea-like flowers that grow on long
racemes (Clusters is the best way to think about it) All Wisteria grows as a vine but
can be trained (with some effort) to grow like a tree. (Ok, I learned that last bit) The
flowers don’t last long. They have a compound leaf and about 1 foot long (this is a
good start to IDing the variety. Count the leaflets. I may do this) I also learned this
preparing this. Walking through the vines is dang near impossible. Only tried once
years ago. If you haven’t smelled them, please do. They are blooming right now.
Multiflora Rose:
Blooming from late April through mid-May (mileage may vary) here in Central
Appalachia. A non-native species introduced as far back as the late 1700’s.
5/17/24
Honeysuckle:
I’d say many kids (and adults) have pulled apart of a honeysuckle flower to get that
drop of nectar. I know I did, often. This sweet-smelling plant certainly has its
aesthetic points, but it is a very pesky plant. The University of Kentucky says that
Amur Honeysuckle (native to Northern China, Korea, and parts of Japan is the most
common variety. It’s a bush honeysuckle (a shrub) that has a woody stem/trunk.
The variety that we see around the Central Appalachian region is the Japanese
honeysuckle. While it does have a woody stem near the ground the vine is mostly
herbaceous.
It’s a vine that blooms in late spring in central Appalachia. It is invasive to say the
least. Not only does it out-compete other species for resources, it also swallows
other plants over time (similar to Kudzu)
It's hard to remove honeysuckle. It tangles weed trimmer lines. I guess one could
use fire. What’s the recipe for napalm again? 😊
Empress Tree:
This tree has other names. Princess Tree, royal Empress tree, Royal Paulownia. This
last name is actually the genus name for the plant Paulownia (pa-LOH-nee). It
comes from, you guessed it, Asia. To be fair Asia is a big place. Named after a
Russian Princess the tree grows quickly. Several feet per year. I wonder if the
Princess did as well? It has velvet leaves that are VERY large and lovely lavender
(light purple to pinkish) flowers that have a vanilla like scent. These are replaced
with rather ugly pods of brown seed thingies (capsules I guess). The seeds are
winged which lends to its spreadability. (Is that a word? Word’s spellchecker says
nope)
Tree of Heaven
I learned about this plant from Glenn Brown while at Pikeville College. Even though
the lab work in his Botany class was tedious to say the least, the walks around
campus were fantastic. I don’t recall him mentioning that this tree was non- native,
but it is.
Another fast-growing invasive transplant from Asia this tree has very large
compound leaves that fooled me on that class walk as a walnut or other nut tree. It
grows clonally by sending out suckers along its roots. So, you often see thickets of
smaller Trees of Heaven, but it can grow very large. The leaves, when crushed,
smell bad. It can grow in poor soils where most plants cannot. It invades disturbed
ground quickly. This is one that has been causing some problems for a while. Nuke
it!
Ox eye Daisy:
I was surprised to learn that this flower is an invasive species. Its one of favorite
spring wildflowers, and I do not see any evidence that’s its trying to take over the
world. Over the years I look for small patches of Daisies in the same places. I don’t
see those patches showing aggressive growth. I also didn’t know they were non-
native. They are found in Asia and Europe.
Daisies reproduce by both seeds and roots. The National park service has called
them a “dangerous ornamental”. They seem to compete with native wildflowers
which is the number one concern, I suppose Maybe they spread faster in other
places than they do locally. I don’t see it. I’m going to let this one live.
