Ohio Invasive Plants Council

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OIPC PLANT ASSESSMENT RESULTS

PDF Handout with this information is available HERE.
NOTES:  
  • In the case of plants of nursery importance, the scores below pertain only to the species itself.  Cultivars are assessed separately and are not included in the species score, unless otherwise indicated.  
  • ​Some listed plants are also currently regulated as Invasive Species by the state of Ohio and banned from commercial sale and distribution. These are indicated with an asterisk (*) after their scientific name.
  • Some problematic non-native species are already regulated as Noxious Weeds in Ohio. Some are also assessed here.​
  • For plants assessed using the original assessment protocol, PDFs of the Scoring Sheet as well as the References are provided. For plants assessed using the more recent 2021 protocol, the original Excel worksheet with the Scoring worksheet and the Reference worksheet are provided for download.
  • Comments from the OIPC Assessment Team are sometimes included for certain species, especially if the team deems the species of special concern that may not reflect its current assessment score.
  • The newest set of 3 plants assessed and listed on June 3, 2025 are presented in purple font below.  This begins the start of a 30 day public comment period (please contact Assessment Team Chair Theresa Culley [theresa.culley"at"uc.edu] with any questions or comments).

​NAME
​SCORE
​DATE
ASSESSMENT

Invasive - score between 45 to 85:

​​Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)*

Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea)*

Narrow-leaved Cattail (Typha angustifolia)*

Hybrid Cattail (Typha x galuca)*

Common Reed (Phragmites australis ​subsp. australis)*

Eurasian Water-Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)*

Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)*

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)*

Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)*

Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense)

​Morrow Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii)*

Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus)*

Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum)*
 
Japanese Knotweed  (Fallopia japonica)*

Asian Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)*

Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe spp. micranthos)*

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)*

Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)*

Smooth Bromegrass (Bromus inermis)

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata)*

​Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)*

Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus)*

Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) - all cultivars*

Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)

Bohemian Knotweed (Fallopia x bohemica)

Giant Knotweed (Fallopia sachalinensis​)

Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum)

​Tatarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)*

Yellow Sweet-Clover (Melilotus officials)

Common Barberry (Berberis vulgaris)* - NEW [species is not commonly found in Ohio, as it was removed from the state due to serving as an alternate host for wheat/barley fungus]

​White Sweet-Clover (Melilotus alba)

Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) - NEW

Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea/Schedonorus arundinaceus)

Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)*

Curly-Leaf Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus)*

Cutleaf Teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus)*

Chinese Silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis)

Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa​)

​Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)*

Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)*

​Black Swallow-Wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum)*

Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna / Ranunculus ficaria)*

Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis)

Air Potato (​Dioscorea polystachya)

Winged Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus)

Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias​)* - this species is often confused and misidentified as E. virgulata/esula ​(reviewed below) in OH

Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)*

Hairy Willow-herb (Epilobium hirsutum)*

Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea)

Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei)

Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila)*

Amur corktree (Phellodendron amurense​)
77

​74

73

73

​70

​69

65

63

63

63

​63

61

60

60

​59

59

58

58

58

56

​56

56

54

54

​53

53​

53

​​51

51

51



​​​50

50

​50

​49

49

49

49

​49

​48

​​47

47

​47

​47

​46

46

45​

​
​45

45

45

​45

​45

​45
July 20, 2016

​July 1, 2015

July 20, 2016

July 20, 2016

​​July 1, 2015

July 1, 2015

May 1, 2014

May 1, 2014

May 1, 2014

Dec. 29, 2018

​July 1, 2105

May 1, 2014

May 1, 2014

Aug. 10, 2017

​May 1, 2014

July 20, 2016

​May 1, 2014

May 1, 2014

July 1, 2015

July 20, 2016

​May 1, 2014

July 1, 2015

May 1, 2014

July 20, 2016

Aug. 10, 2017​

Aug. 10, 2017

Dec. 29, 2018

​​​July 1, 2015

July 1, 2015

Jan. 21, 2025

​

​July 1, 2015

Jan. 21, 2025

​June 4, 2025

​May 1, 2014

July 1, 2015

July 1, 2015

July 20, 2016

Dec. 29, 2018

​July 1, 2015

​​July 1, 2015

​​July 1, 2015

May 1, 2014

​Aug. 10, 2017

Aug. 10, 2017

Oct. 25, 2019

June 3, 2025


​​July 20, 2016

July 20, 2016

July 20, 2016

July 20, 2016

Aug. 10, 2017

Dec. 29, 2018
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Potentially Invasive - score between 35 to 44:

Common Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)*

Mile-a-Minute Vine (Persicaria perfoliata)*


Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) - NEW [Can be locally aggressive, forms dense stands along woodland edges, roads, trails, and openings. It should not be planted.]

​Periwinkle (Vinca minor) - [Planted extensively as an ornamental groundcover but very difficult to control in natural sites;; not recommended for planting near natural areas]

​Small Carpetgrass (Arthraxon hispidus)

Lesser Naiad (Najas minor)*

Japanese Chaff Flower (Achyranthes japonica)

Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

Common Burdock (Arcticum minus)


Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)* [This species so detrimental to human health that it is usually immediately removed when found; it is considered invasive in Europe]

​White Mulberry (Morus alba)*

Porcelainberry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata)*

Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus var. opulus) - NEW [This non-native species is often confused with the closely related native Viburnum trilobum (a.k.a. V. opulus var. americanum). V. opulus var. opulus is sometimes incorrectly sold as V. trilobum or V. opulus var. americanum.]

​Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)

​Sweet Autumn Clematis (​Clematis terniflora) - [Does well in the Ohio River Valley; an upcoming problem - do not plant if at all possible]

Garden Yellowrocket (Barbarea vulgaris)

​Ditch Lily (Hemerocallis fulva)

Japanese meadowsweet (Spiraea japonica)

​Princess Tree (Paulownia tomentosa)*

Norway Maple (Acer platanoides)

Ravenna Grass (Tripidium ravennae)

​Dog Rose (Rosa canina​)
44

43

43

​

​42



​​42

​42

42

42

41​

40

​​

40

40

39

​


38

37

​​

​37

​37

36

​36

36

​36

​36
May 1, 2014

May 1, 2014

Jan. 21, 2025

​

​June 26, 2022

​

​Aug. 10, 2017

July 1, 2015

July 1, 2015

July 20, 2016

​Dec. 29, 2018

​June 26, 2022
​
​

May 1, 2014

May 1, 2014

Jan. 21, 2025

​


​June 26, 2022

June 26, 2022

​

​July 1, 2015

​​July 20, 2016

​June 26, 2022

​July 20, 2016

​July 20, 2016

Dec. 29, 2018

​Aug. 10, 2017
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Not Currently Invasive in Ohio - score between 0 to 34:

[English Ivy (​Hedera helix)

Border Privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium)

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum​)

Doublefile Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum) - NEW [Taxonomic confusion reflects the inverted discovery of this plant: the sterile snowball form was discovered first in Japanese cultivation and mistakenly given the species name (Viburnum plicatum). The fertile wild doublefile form was subsequently discovered and incorrectly named as a variety of the species. Today, sterile double-flower "Japanese snowball" cultivars are V. plicatum f. plicatum, and the original doublefile plants are V. plicatum f. tomentosum.]

Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia virgulata) - this species is also referred to as ​E. esula (misapplied).

​European Wand Loosestrife (Lythrum virgatum)* - [this species is difficult to tell apart from highly invasive L. salicaria & hybridizes easily; this species & its cultivars should not be planted.]

Common Plantain (Plantago major)

Giant Reed (​Arundo donax​) - not a significant problem in OH yet but is problematic south of OH]

​Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria​)

Chinese or Lacebark Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) - NEW

​Golden Raintree (Koelreuteria paniculata)

​Aralia (Eleutherococcus sieboldianus)

Amur Maple (Acer ginnala)

Sawtooth Oak (Quercus acutissima) - NEW

​Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordita) - NEW [Monitoring is recommended, given high potential for aggressive spread by rhizomes, and difficulty to control.]

​Hedge Maple (Acer campestre)

Norway Maple 'Crimson King' (Acer platanoides)
​

Big Blue Lilyturf (Liriope muscari)
32

30

29

28

28

​






26​


25


​​

​23

20


​​20

20

​18​

​15

​15

14

11



​​​11

​11

​​​7
June 26, 2022

​July 1, 2015

May 1, 2014

Dec. 29, 2018

​Jan. 21, 2025

​






​June 3, 2025


​June 26, 2022

​
​

​May 1, 2014

June 26, 2022

​
​Dec. 29, 2018

​Jan. 21, 2025

​Dec. 29, 2018

​July 20, 2016

​July 1, 2015

Jan. 21, 2025

​Jan. 21, 2025

​

​July 1, 2015

​July 20, 2016

​July 20, 2016
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For information about Invasive Aquatic Plants, please click HERE. For further information and to suggest new species for the team to assess, please contact Theresa Culley, Chair of the Plant Assessment Team at theresa.culley"at"uc.edu 
 
Ohio Invasive Plants Council
c/o Department of Biological Sciences
University of Cincinnati
P.O. Box 210006
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0006


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University of Cincinnati
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