It’s Growing So Well It Must Be A Good Plant. Right?
![lantana](http://extadmin.ifas.ufl.edu/nwdistrictmedia/ph-outdoors/2015/01/lantana.png)
You know that plant in the corner of the yard that seems to be taking over? It’s the one that your friend “passed along” because they had plenty of them and wanted to share. After all, it grows so well. How can you go wrong? The odds are that vigorous plant is a non-native species. The majority of what is sold in nurseries are introduced from a foreign country and developed for their uniqueness.
The problem is that many of the plants brought into the United States arrive without their natural enemies. Under the long, warm growing season found in Florida, these non-native plants become the dominant plant in an area and manage to out-compete the native plants. When this happens, these introduced plants get labeled as an “invasive species”.
If you want to learn more about your friend’s ”passalong” plant be sure to visit the Assessment of Nonnative Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas website and database at http://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/.
![Mexican Petunia](http://extadmin.ifas.ufl.edu/nwdistrictmedia/ph-outdoors/2015/01/Mexican-Petunia-300x200.jpg)