Find information below on
- the definition of “invasive plant species” and the types of harm that they cause,
- where to look up whether a particular plant is invasive,
- Maryland and City of Takoma Park regulations on invasives,
- how two Takoma Park residents came to recognize the threat posed by having invasives in their yards
The definition of invasive plants and the harm they cause
Invasive plants, like all invasive species, are not native to a location and are harmful to the environment or humans there. Read more about the definition of invasive plants and related (but different) terms such as “non-natives” and “weeds.”
It is that second criterion — being harmful — that distinguishes invasive plants from other non-native plants. Learn more about the types of harm to the environment caused by invasive plants.
Where to look up invasive plant species
Click on the name of the resource to look up which species it designates as invasive.
Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool (MAIT): This online interactive database provides the most complete list of invasive plants, and plants at risk of becoming invasive, in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The list is easily searched, filtered, and downloaded. Basic information and numerous photos are provided for each species.
Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC): Note that this list does not appear to have been updated since 2019, possibly because the effort has been transferred to maintaining the MAIT tool.
The Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States: This atlas is a collaborative project between the National Park Service, the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Regulating invasive species
Maryland has passed legislation to take more aggressive action against the sale of invasive plants in the nursery trade. Learn how Maryland designates invasive plants and prohibits their sale in the state.
The City of Takoma Park has an administrative regulation on noxious growths and undesirable trees. In brief, property owners are:
- prohibited from having certain plants, mostly natives, that are considered obnoxious (e.g., poison ivy, ragweed),
- required to prevent the spread from their property of certain other plants, most invasive, that can damage, trees, native vegetation, or buildings, and
- automatically given a permit to remove twelve species of invasive trees, provided replacement trees are planted.
Takoma Parkers come to recognize the threat posed by invasives
Meg Voorhes explains: “Have you ever wondered why so many invasive plants pervade our yards? Consider my own experience.”
Bob Gibson writes about his growing awareness: “…many of us in Takoma Park filled our gardens with plants to add beauty and greenery with little or no awareness that many of our choices were … invasive.”
Summary of links
Read more about the definition of invasive plants
Learn more about the environmental harm caused by invasive plants
Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool (MAIT)
Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC)
The Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States
How Maryland regulates invasive plants
City of Takoma Park administrative regulation on noxious vegetation
Friends of Native Trees in Takoma 