WSFNR10-14

Dendrology Series

February 2010

Invasive Trees
of Georgia
by Dr. Kim D. Coder, Professor of Tree Biology & Health Care
Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia

Georgia has many species of trees. Some are native trees and some have been introduced from outside
the state, nation, or continent. Most of Georgias trees are well-behaved and easily developed into sustainable
shade and street trees. A few tree species have an extrodinary ability to upsurp resources and take over sites
from other plants. These trees are called invasive because they effectively invade sites, many times eliminating
other species of plants.
There are a few species native to Georgia which are considered invasive in other parts of the country.
These native invasives, may be well-behaved in Georgia, but reproduce and take over sites elsewhere, and so
have gained an invasive status from at least one species list. Table 1. Many of trees on the introduced or exotic
tree invasives list are notorious for growing rampantly and being difficult to eradicate. Table 2.

Table 1: Native trees considered invasive in other parts of the country.

scientific name
Acacia farnesiana
Acer negundo
Acer rubrum
Fraxinus americana
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Gleditsia triacanthos
Juniperus virginiana

common name
sweet acacia
boxelder
red maple
white ash
green ash
honeylocust
eastern redcedar

scientific name
Myrica cerifera
Pinus taeda
Populus deltoides
Prunus serotina
Robinia pseudoacacia
Toxicodendron vernix

common name
southern bayberry
loblolly pine
eastern cottonwood
black cherry
black locust
poison sumac

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Table 2: Introduced (exotic) tree / shrub species in Georgia listed

at a regional / national level as being ecologically invasive.
Trees listed alphabetically by scientific name and includes
the most widely used common name.
scientific name

Acer pseudoplatanus
Ailanthus altissima
Albizia julibrissin
Alnus glutinosa
Betula pubescens
Broussonetia papyrifera
Cinnamomum camphora
Clerodendrum bungei
Clerodendrum indicum
Clerodendrum trichotomum
Ligustrum japonicum
Ligustrum sinense
Melia azedarach
Morella rubra
Morus alba
Nicotiana glauca
Paulownia tomentosa
Pittosporum tobira
Populus alba
Populus nigra
Populus Xcanescens
Salix alba
Salix babylonica
Salix cinerea
Salix purpurea
Salix Xpendulina
Salix Xrubens
Sapindus mukorossi
Sapium sebiferum
Senna corymbosa
Tamarix gallica
Tamarix pentandra
Triadica sebifera
Ulmus pumila

common name

sycamore maple
tree-of-heaven
mimosa
European alder
downy birch
paper-mulberry
camphor tree
rose glorybower
turks turbin
harlequin glorybower
Japanese privet
Chinese privet
chinaberry
red bayberry
white mulberry
tree tobacco
royal paulownia
Japanese cheesewood
white poplar
Lombardy poplar
gray poplar
white willow
weeping willow
gray willow
purpleosier willow
Wisconsin weeping willow
crack willow
Chinese soapberry
Chinese tallow-tree
Argentine senna
French tamarisk
tamarisk
Chinese tallow-tree
Siberian elm