Links to related topics:

Introduction to Invasive Plants
A quick guide to removing invasive plants and replacing with native plants
Definition of invasive species and related terms

Information on Invasive Plants in Takoma Park

Click the name of an invasive plant species in the list below to access a source with more information.

For the invasive status of plants not listed below, scroll or jump to the Where to Look Up Invasives section.

*Indicates a link to the Plant Invaders field guide. The page numbers (“pg. 000”) indicate where in the guide to find the relevant information.

Look up whether a plant species is invasive

The first source, MAIT, is the most complete but requires careful reading to determine whether a plant is invasive in Maryland as opposed to elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic.

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. It gives basic information and numerous photos for each species.

However, the user has to look carefully at the maps provided to evaluate whether a plant is considered invasive in Maryland. (Counties where the plant has been reported as invasive are colored green. Learn about EDDmapS.)

MAIT is hosted by University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health with federal funding.

Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas: Many of the invasives listed at the top of this webpage link to this source. While it describes numerous additional invasive plants, the list is far from exhaustive. The Table of Contents lists the species by their common names; the index (pg. 198-200) lists them by their scientific names.

The Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States: This database is similar to MAIT but on a national scale.

Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC): The link goes to a list of 256 terrestrial plant species “known to cause environmental or economical harm in Maryland or the region and are therefore a significant concern to the Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC), a group representing broad environmental and economic interests across the state of Maryland.” The list was last updated in April 2024, and seems to have been superseded by the MAIT database listed above.

Maryland Prohibited Plant List: In 2024, Maryland passed more aggressive regulation of invasive plants.