What is an invasive plant?
An invasive plant is a weed of natural habitats. It is a non-native plant that was introduced into California through human action. (Whereas native plants are the result of natural processes of plant migration and evolution.) An invasive plant is a species that, after being introduced, is capable of spreading into natural areas without further help from humans. Not all non-native plants are invasive; fortunately only a small fraction of the thousands of plant species that have been introduced into California have escaped cultivation, and only a small fraction of those have spread into wildlands. Invasive plants vary widely in their ability to occupy native habitats. Some are true invaders and will readily move into any suitable ecosystem. Others – probably the majority – are more colonizing; they are capable of growing in areas that have been disturbed by human or natural causes, but do not succeed in areas currently inhabited by natives.
