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Alternatives to Invasive Plants Commonly Found in Central Florida Landscapes

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Invasive plants are non-native plants that form expanding populations in natural areas and other plant communities with which they were not previously associated. Once escaped, they can cause ecological impacts, such as displacing native plants and associated wildlife or altering natural water flow and fire patterns. Standardized invasive plant terminology set forth by members of the UF/IFAS Invasive Species Council can be a useful reference for other related terms such as “introduced," “established," and “nuisance” (Iannone et al., 2021).

Some ornamentals listed as invasive by the University of Florida IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas or by the Florida Invasive Species Council (FISC) are still in commercial production and widely found in Florida landscapes. Homeowners might replace invasive plants if non-invasive alternatives are researched, publicized, and made readily available. By shifting production and use from invasive ornamentals to native or non-invasive cultivars, the nursery and landscape industry may benefit from potential revenue while fostering greater collaboration with state agencies and environmental groups.

University of Florida research, teaching, and Extension efforts over the last 25 years have focused on identifying alternatives to ornamental invasives by assessing similar traits of Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ plants, related genera, and their cultivars. University of Florida horticulturists have identified native species with ornamental and ecological appeal as substitutes (Wilson, 2020). An easy-to-use flipbook where invasives are paired with landscape alternatives has been developed by Extension agents, faculty, and students (McIntyre et al., 2022, Parrish et al., 2023). Likewise, University of Florida ornamental plant breeders have played a key role in creating, selecting, and trialing new sterile, non-invasive cultivars (Wilson and Deng, 2023). This breeding initiative now has a national reach (Contreras et al., 2025). Table 1 lists native and non-native ornamentals as alternatives to invasive plants commonly used in Florida landscapes. Only plants considered to be generally available in the nursery trade are listed. Alternative plants are similar to respective invasive plants as much as possible in terms of size, habit, texture, flowering, fruiting, and moisture preference. Introduced plants listed in Table 1 were determined to be non-invasive (with assessments of "not a problem species" or "may be used with caution") by the IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas, or have not yet been evaluated. For more information, please see the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ App for an interactive guide to selecting the right plant with the right place.

References

Enloe, S.F. and K.A. Langeland. 2026. "Help protect Florida's natural areas from non-native invasive plants." Circular 1204. Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AG108 (released 1998, revised 2022).

Iannone, B.V., III, E.C. Bell, S. Carnevale, J.E. Hill, J.B. McConnell……et al. 2021. “Standardized invasive species terminology for effective education of Floridians." FOR730/FR439. Ask IFAS. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fr439-2021

Lieurance, D. and S.L. Flory. 2024. The UF/IFAS Assessment of Nonnative Plants in Florida's Natural Areas: History, Purpose, and Use. SS-AGR-371/376. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AG376. (Released 2013, revised 2020).

McIntyre, T., R. Gutner, S. Wilson, and M. Pinkerton. 2022. Plant This, Not That: A Guide to Avoiding Invasive Plant Species in Florida. UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore. https://ifasbooks.ifas.ufl.edu/showproduct.aspx?ProductID=1658&SEName=plant-this-not-that

Parrish, B., T. McIntyre, M. Pinkerton, and S.B. Wilson. 2023. “Plant this not that: A tool for improving invasive species identification and expanding the use of sustainable alternatives in Florida landscaping.” HortTechnology. 33:452-454. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05277-23

Wilson, S.B. 2020. Expanding our plant palette: The role of natives and non-invasive cultivars. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. Keynote address, 133:xx-xxiv. https://journals.flvc.org/fshs/article/view/133094/137179

Wilson, S.B. and Z. Deng. 2023. “Ornamental invasive plants in Florida with research-founded alternatives.” HortTechnology. 33:349-356. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05205-23.

Table 1. Invasive ornamentals commonly found in central Florida landscapes and commonly available native and non-native, non-invasive substitutes. Scientific names are those used by the UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas, the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System, and the Atlas of Florida Plants by the Institute for Systematic Biology.

 

Publication #ENH1207