Sweetwater Creek Watershed Mgmt. Plan 2007 Update--Part 2

EXISTING NATURAL SYSTEMS CONDITIONS
Chinese Tallow
Like melaleuca, the Chinese tallow is a tree that grows and spreads
rapidly, is difficult to kill, and tends to take over large areas by outcompeting
native plants. Chinese tallow is spreading rampantly in
large natural areas, including Paynes Prairie State Preserve near
Gainesville, state-owned protected lands along the St. Johns River. It
is a landscape element on residential property and has escaped into
all but the xeric plant communities.
Brazilian Pepper
Brazilian pepper is one of the most aggressive of the invasive
non-indigenous plants in Florida. It is invading aquatic and
terrestrial habitats, greatly reducing the quality of native biotic
communities in the state. Brazilian pepper is from South
America, and was probably introduced as an ornamental in the
mid 1800s. Since it is not cold hardy, the tree occurs mostly in
southern Florida. Brazilian pepper is indigenous to the coast of
tropical Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina (Ewel, 1986). It was present in Florida in the early
1840's (Barkley, 1944) and was re-introduced into Florida in 1898 (Morton, 1978). This plant
was once sold as a landscape ornamental because it produced dense masses of scarlet
berries. The species is established in the watershed in the Stream and Lake Swamp habitat.
Wild taro
The wild taro is an emergent plant, imported from the Pacific Islands. It
occurs in and out of water. The leaves can grow to two feet long and
are medium to large in size, arrowhead-shaped with heart-shaped
bases. They are dark, velvety green, and water repellant. Wild taro
leaves are peltate: the leaf stem attaches more-or-less to the middle of
the underside of the leaf. Leaf stems grow to four feet tall. Flowers
occur in small fingerlike spikes.
The castor bean, earpod tree, latex plant, lead tree, and paper mulberry are also escapees from
landscapes. Not purposely planted around homes and buildings today, these species are
represented by a sufficient number of individuals to provide an adequate seed source for further
invasion of upland native habitats, particularly disturbed sites. Plants of these species are
commonly seen along roadsides.
Hydrilla and parrot’s feather, both of which are submerged aquatic plants that are rooted in the
bottom substrate, escaped from the aquarium trade and are well established in ponds and some
lakes in the watershed. Hydrilla is particularly invasive and has been a serious problem in some
of the larger lakes in the watershed in the past. Control measures include chemical treatment
and the introduction of the Chinese grass carp, a plant-eating fish species.
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Sweetwater Creek Watershed Management Plan