Legacy bulbs-desirable plants or weeds
Dennis Kramb (Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:41:18 PDT)
The integrity of the local native environment can play a large factor in
invasiveness of an exotic species.
For example in Cincinnati the asian honeysuckles are an absolute menace.
But a few counties over where the native forest remains largely intact and
unfragmented, the honeysuckles are not invasive at all. The healthy
undisturbed native forest ecosystem holds them in check. But in suburbia
where I live they are a major pest and headache.
To the south, I think kudzu is rampant even in intact forests.... so.... as
Boyce says it's a complex interaction!
On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 11:05 AM, Boyce Tankersley <
btankers@chicagobotanic.org> wrote:
Hi Kathleen:
Our experience at CBG strongly suggests that invasiveness is very much a
regional characteristic. For instance in the Chicago area Buckthorn is
invasive but in other regions experiencing a zone 5 climate it is not
invasive. In other words, the ability to invade is based upon a complex
interaction of environmental factors, not simply minimum winter
temperatures.
Boyce Tankersley
Director of Living Plant Documentation
Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, IL 60022
tel: 847-835-6841
fax: 847-835-1635
email: btankers@chicagobotanic.org
"As a general guideline, if a particular species is a weed somewhere in
the
world, growing in the same hardiness zone you garden in, be very wary
of introducing it to your garden."
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