Out of the Weeds: Florida's Nonnative and Invasive Plant Lists - UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants

Out of the Weeds: Florida’s Nonnative and Invasive Plant Lists

This blog was written by Anelise Bullard, UF/IFAS CAIP communications intern.

In our last blog, we talked about the three regulatory plant lists that manage the movement of plant material (Federal Noxious Weed List, Florida Noxious Weed List, and the Florida Prohibited Aquatic Plants List). Now, we’ll cover two lists that recommend what plant species should not be introduced to Florida based on their invasion potential.

Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) is on the FISC list and UF/IFAS Assessment as invasive.

1. UF/IFAS Assessment of Nonnative Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas

The UF/IFAS Assessment evaluates invasion status of nonnative plants within the state or risk of invasion in plants proposed for introduction and cultivation. Invasion risk is determined using two tools:

- Status Assessment: Evaluates the status of plants currently in the state using information about ecological impacts and management.
- Predictive Tool: A model that predicts a plant’s potential to become invasive within the state.

2. Florida Invasive Species Council (FISC) Plant List

The FISC is a nonprofit organization that provides a list of invasive species within the state. The Plant List Committee, consisting of biologists, ecologists, land managers and more, maintains the list. The FISC Plant List has two categories:

Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) is also recognized as invasive on both lists.

- Category I: Plants in this category have caused damage to natural areas by altering native plant communities and harming ecological function. Damage is determined by ecological impacts and does not include economic or geographic factors.
- Category II: Plants in this category have increased in number but have not altered native communities to the extent of Category I. They can be moved to Category I if evidence of more damage is discovered.

Although the UF/IFAS Assessment and the FISC Plant List aren’t regulatory, they are essential in assessing the risk of invasion in our state. Used in tandem with the regulatory lists, these recommendations can help reduce the spread of invasive plants in Florida.

You can learn more about how the UF/IFAS assessment evaluates invasion risk by listening to our podcast episode What’s on the Horizon? Predicting Future Invasive Species below!

Helpful Resources

Questions or comments can be sent to the UF/IFAS CAIP communications manager at caip@ifas.ufl.edu. Follow UF/IFAS CAIP on Instagram.

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