Invasive Weeds of the U.P.
1. Highly invasive
2. Moderately invasive
3. Widespread exotic (non-native)
These plants are all non-native (exotic), highly invasive plants which invade natural habitats and replace native species.
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
| Norway maple garlic mustard Japanese barberry spotted knapweed, bachelors buttons crown-vetch leafy spurge, wolf’s milk tartarian honeysuckle Bell’s honeysuckle purple loosestrife Eurasian water-milfoil Japanese knotweed curly pondweed common buckthorn smooth buckthorn |
Acer
platanoides Alliaria petiolata Berberis thunbergii Centaurea maculosa Coronilla varia Euphorbia esula Lonicera tatarica Lonicera x bella Lythrum salicaria Myriophyllum spicatum Polygonum cuspidatum Potamogeton crispus Rhamnus cathartica Rhamnus frangula |
These plants are less invasive than those in Category 1.
If these species are significantly replacing native species, then they are doing so only
in local areas.
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
| goutweed common barberry smooth brome Canada thistle marsh thistle, European swamp thistle Autumn-olive-1 winged euonymus, winged burning bush meadow fescue dame’s rocket moneywort white sweet-clover yellow sweet-clover watercress wiregrass, Canada bluegrass kentucky bluegrass European white poplar-1 multiflora rose Johnson grass Siberian elm-1 garden-heliotrope greater periwinkle |
Aegopodium podagraria Berberis vulgaris Bromus inermis Cirsium arvense Cirsium palustre Eleagnus umbellata Euonymus alata Festuca pratensis Hesperis matronalis Lysimachia nummularia Melilotus alba Melilotus officinalis Nasturtium officinale Poa compressa Poa pratensis Populus alba Rosa multiflora Sorghum halepense Ulmus pumila Valeriana officinalis Vinca minor |
| 1-submitted by Jim Lempke. |
|
These plants are often restricted to disturbed ground and are not especially invasive in undisturbed natural habitats. Most of these species are found throughout much of our range.
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
| velvet-leaf carpet-bugle pigweed sweet vernal grass common burdock thyme-leaf sandwort tall oatgrass asparagus downy chess, drooping brome-grass creeping bellflower shepard’s purse cuckoo-flower musk thistle star-thistle, knapweed common mouse-ear greater celandine ox-eye daisy chicory bull thistle poison hemlock field bindweed winged pigweed orchard grass jimson-weed Queen Anne’s lace deptford pink common teasel cut-leaved teasel barnyard-grass viper’s bugloss quackgrass helleborine cypress spurge hemp-nettle quickweed wild madder, white bedstraw yellow bedstraw horned poppy gill-over-the-ground orange day-lily orange hawkweed hawkweed hops St. John’s wort prickly lettuce red dead-nettle nipplewort motherwort butter-and -eggs ryegrass bird's foot trefoil musk mallow common mallow pineapple-weed black medic, alfalfa white mulberry forget-me-not catnip wild parsnip false foxglove Timothy grass plantain annual bluegrass silvery cinquefoil sulphur cinquefoil heal-all, self-heal tall buttercup creeping buttercup black-eyed susan sheep sorrell curly dock soapwort yellow sedum live-forever common groundsel bladder campion climbing nightshade field sow-thistle, perennial sow-thistle prickly sow-thistle common sow-thistle common stitchwort tansy common dandelion field pennycress yellow goat’s-beard white clover clover moth mullein giant mullein speedwell cow vetch common cocklebur |
Abutilon theophrasti Ajuga reptans Amaranthus retroflexus Anthoxanthum odoratum Arctium minus Arenaria serpyllifolia Arrhenatherum elatius Asparagus officinalis Bromus tectorum Campanula rapunculoides Capsella bursa-pastoris Cardamine pratensis Carduus nutans Centaurea spp. Cerastium fontanum Chelidonium majus Chrysanthemum leucanthemum Cichorium intybus Cirsium vulgare Conium maculatum Convolvulus arvensis Cycloloma atriplicifolium Dactylis glomerata Datura stramonium Daucus carota Dianthus armeria Dipsacus fullonum Dipsacus laciniatus Echinochloa crusgalli Echium vulgare Elytrigia (Agropyron) repens Epipactis helleborine Euphorbia cyparissias Galeopsis tetrahit Galinsoga quadriradiata Galium mollugo Galium verum Glaucium flavum Glechoma hederacea Hemerocallis fulva Hieracium aurantiacum Hieracium lachenalii Humulus lupulus Hypericum perforatum Lactuca serriola Lamium maculatum Lapsana communis Leonurus cardiaca Linaria vulgaris Lolium perenne Lotus corniculata Malva moschata Malva neglecta Matricaria discoidea Medicago sativa Morus alba Myosotis scorpioides Nepeta cataria Pastinaca sativa Penstemon digitalis Phleum pratense Plantago major Poa annua Potentilla argentea Potentilla recta Prunella vulgaris Ranunculus acris Ranunculus repens Rudbeckia hirta Rumex acetosella Rumex crispus Saponaria officinalis Sedum acre Sedum telephium (=purpureum) Senecio vulgaris Silene vulgaris Solanum dulcamara Sonchus arvensis Sonchus asper Sonchus oleraceus Stellaria graminea Tanacetum vulgare Taraxacum officinale Thlaspi arvense Tragopogon pratensis Trifolium repens Trifolium spp. Verbascum blatteria Verbascum thapsus Veronica officinalis Vicia cracca Xanthium strumarium |
Michigan Source: State of Michigan Noxious Weed Act
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
| common ragweed (native) hoary alyssum Indian mustard charlock black mustard Canada thistle bindweed Queen Anne’s lace perennial sow-thistle poison-ivy (native) |
Ambrosia
artemisiifolia Berteroa incana Brassica juncea Brassica kaber Brassica nigra Cirsium arvense Convolvulus arvensis Daucus carota Sonchus arvensis Toxicodendron radicans |
This information has been compiled from various sources. Gleason and Cronquist’s "Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada" provide information regarding taxonomic authority, common names, habitat, and native range. Eastern Region (U.S. Forest Service) invasive plants, ranked by degree of invasiveness, are based on information from States. Edward Voss's "Michigan Flora" provided information on presence within Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Degree of invasiveness varies with specific site conditions. Non-natives may be non-invasive in some situations and highly invasive in others. The following organizations and people contributed to the collection of this list.
U.S. Forest Service - Hiawatha National Forest
Michigan Association of Conservation Districts
Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
Michigan Department of Agriculture
Marquette County Soil and Water Conservation District
Eastern Region - US Forest Service
Margaret Boyle
Ian Shackleford
This site created and maintained by Bill Cook, MSU Extension Forester for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, now retired. He continues to respond to suggestions, questions, and corrections. Contact him at cookwi@msu.edu.
