Invasive Plant List
The City of Shaker Heights is dedicated to maintaining our tree canopy and green spaces. Besides our beautiful tree lined streets, our City is fortunate to contain parklands which include a number of lakes, Shaker Nature Center, as well as other greenspaces, many of which border the Doan Brook. The proximity to these natural areas offer our residents unique experiences, but also come with unique responsibilities. Our dedication to sustainable practices includes protecting these natural areas.
One of the significant threats to these spaces are invasive plant species. Invasive plant species have spread into our parklands, reducing biodiversity, interrupting natural cycles, and threatening the long-term health of these spaces and the species that depend on these natural areas. Because many of us in the watershed contribute to the health, or damage to these ecosystems, the City of Shaker would like to encourage all of our residents to adopt certain best-practice landscaping to protect our beautiful natural spaces. Our do-not-plant list is an attempt to offer an educational primer of plants to avoid in our gardens and yards. We encourage residents to use these resources and join in our city's efforts to improve the health of our green spaces.
The list of trees, shrubs and plants below are all species that are targeted statewide as the most invasive plants in Ohio’s natural areas and the most difficult to control. Invasive plants can crowd out native plants that provide food for insects and wildlife, thus reducing biodiversity.
Many invasive plants are hosts to invasive pests that can destroy other native plant species. The information in this list comes from various reputable sources: The Ohio Department of Natural Resources; The Ohio Invasive Plants Council; and the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Download a PDF version of the list.
Latin Name
| Common Name
|
|---|
| Achyranthes japonica | Japanese chaff flower |
| Ailanthus altissima | tree of heaven |
| Alliaria petiolata | garlic mustard |
| Ampelopsis brevipedunculata | porccelainberry |
| Arthraxon hispidus | small carpgrass |
| Azolla pinnate | pinnate mosquitofern |
| Berberis thunbergii | Japanese barberry |
| Berberis vulgaris | common barberry |
| Bromus inermis | smooth bromegrass |
| Butomus umbellatus | flowering rush |
| Celastrus orbiculatus | Asian or Oriental bittersweet |
| Centaurea stoebe ssp. Micranthos | spotted knapweed |
| Cirsium arvense | Canada thistle |
| Conium maculatum | poison hemlock |
| Dioscora polystachya (batatas) | air potato |
| Dipsacus fullonum | common teasel |
| Dispsacus laciniatus | cutleaf teasel |
| Egeria densa | Brazilian Waterweed |
| Eichhornia azurea | anchored water hyacinth |
| Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian olive |
| Elaeagnus umbellata | autum olive |
| Epilobium hirsutum | hairy willow herb |
| Euonymus alatus | burning bush |
| Euonymus fortunei | wintercreeper |
| Fallopia (Polygonum) sachalinense | giant knotweed |
| Fallopia (Polygonum) x bohemica | bohemian knotweed |
| Fallopia japonica | Japanese knotweed |
| Ficaria verna | lesser celandine |
| Frangula alnus | glossy buckthorn |
| Heracleum mantegazzianum | giant hogweed |
| Hesperis matronlis | dame's rocket |
| Hydrilla verticillata | hydrilla |
| Hydrocharis morsus-ranae | European frog-bit |
| Hygrophila polysperma | Indian swampweed |
| Ipomoea purpurea | morning glory |
| Iris pseudacorus | yellow flag iris |
| Lagarosiphon major | African oxygen weed |
| Ligustrum vulgare | common privet |
| Limnophila sessiliflora | Asian marshweed |
| Lonicera japonica | Japanese honeysuckle |
| Lonicera maackii | amur honeysuckle |
| Lonicera tatarica | tatarian honeysuckle |
| Loniera morrowii | morrow's honeysuckle |
| Lythrum salicaria | purple loosestrife |
| Lythrum virgatum | European wand loosestrife |
| Marsilea quadrifolia | European water-clover |
| Melilotus alba | white sweet clover |
| Melilotus officinalis | yellow sweet clover |
| Microstegium vimineum | Japanese stiltgrass |
| Miscanthus sinensis | Chinese silvergrass |
| Monochoria hastata | arrowleaf false pickerelweed |
| Monochoria vaginalis | heartshape false pickerelweed |
| Morus alba | white mulberry |
| Myriophyllum aquaticum | parrotfeather' |
| Myriophyllum spicatum | eurasin water-milfoil |
| Najas minor | brittle waternymph |
| Nymphoides peltata | yellow floating hair |
| Ottelia alismoides | duck lettuce |
| Pastinaca sativa | wild parsnip |
| Patamogeton crispus | curly-leaved pondweed |
| Paulownia tomentosa | princess tree |
| Persicaria perfoliata | mile-a-minute |
| Phalaris arundinacea | reed canary grass |
| Phellodendron amurense | amur corktree |
| Phragmites australis | common reed |
| Pistia stratiotes | water lettuce |
| Potamogeton crispus | curly pondweed |
| Pueraria montana var. lobate | kudzu |
| Pyrus calleryana | callery pear |
| Ranunculus ficaria | fig buttercum, lesser celandine |
| Rhammus cathartica | common buckthorn |
| Rosa multiflora | multiflora rose |
| Sagittaria sagittifolia | arrowhead |
| Salix fragilis | crack willow |
| Salvinia minima | common salvinia |
| Salvinia molesta | giant salvinia |
| Saponaria officinalis | bouncing bet |
| Sparganium erectum | simple bur-reed |
| Stratiotes aloides | water soldier |
| Trapa natans | water chestnut |
| Tripidium ravennae | ravenna grass |
| typha angustifolia | narrow-leaved cattail |
| Typha x glauca | hydrid cattail |
| Ulmus pumila | Siberian elm |
| Vincetoxicum nigrum | black dog-strangling vine, black swallowwort |
Sources: Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Invasive Plants Council
Tree News
Published quarterly, this email newsletter provides an update on TAB's activities and ideas and resources for residents seeking to provide the best care for their property's trees. View recent issues of Tree News | Subscribe to Tree News
TAB Members
The TAB is composed of the Director of Public Works or his/her designee; one member of City Council; and three or more citizen members, who shall be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council.
Term
Citizen members of the Tree Advisory Board shall serve two-year, calendar year terms. Appointments to fill vacancies or to add members shall be made by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council. The terms of citizen members shall end on December 31 of the year following the year that their term began. Click here if you are interested in volunteering to serve on TAB.
Codified Ordinances
Chapter 161 of the Codified Ordinances for the City of Shaker Heights defines the TAB and its membership and terms. See Sections 161.01; 161.02; 161.03; Cross References- Trees and Shrubs - see GEN. OFF. Ch. 747
Events & Activities
Arbor Day
A tree planting ceremony takes place each year in a public space of Shaker Heights. Students from each of the public schools in Shaker Heights, on a rotating basis, join Board members, the City Forester, the Mayor, and others to celebrate Arbor Day at this event. Commemorative plaques mark each tree. In addition, the Tree Advisory Board and the Shaker Heights Public Library sponsor an annual Arbor Day-themed contest for students throughout April.
Heritage Tree Award
Residents are invited to nominate trees to be honored with a Heritage Tree Award by filling out the online nomination form.
Nominated trees are:
- associated with a famous person, a significant event, or an historic landmark, or
- unusual in size, form, age, or other quality, or
- associated with an interesting history connected to a family, its home, or a business.
View recent winners:
Memorial Tree Planting Program
Individuals who wish to plant trees on public lands to honor the memory of a loved one or notable neighbor can now "grow” this memory. The first step in the process is to complete the online application.
Tree City Awards
The City has been designated as a “Tree City” from the National Arbor Day Foundation for the last 39 years and has also earned the Foundation's Growth Award for the last 13 years. To qualify for Tree City USA, the City must meet certain criteria established by The Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. The Growth Award requires cities to go above and beyond these criteria.