About
6000 species of vascular plants grow outside of cultivation in Texas. Of these, more than 800 (nearly 15%) are not
native to the state. TexasNonNatives.org
attempts to provide an account of all of the non-native species––and for each
an assessment of its degree of invasiveness in Texas and indication of the
region(s) of Texas in which it occurs (regional data to be added soon). These data are organized in an Excel file
that can searched in various ways. Data
subsets also are provided as well as documentation for the Texas occurrence of
many species. A Watch List and Super
Watch List give accounts of potentially invasive plant species not yet known in
Texas but expected soon. The MENU page
gives a range of options for accessing information.
The
initial set of data at the TexasNonNatives.org
site was developed in 2009 by Guy Nesom with assistance from a host of Texas
botanists (as well as from Oklahoma and Louisiana) and has recently been
further expanded and refined (in 2010) with input from Jed Aplaca and Justin
Williams and with suggestions from The Nature
Conservancy. Other contributors
to development of the data at TexasNonNatives.org are Bill Carr, Norma Fowler, Laura
Hansen, Stephan Hatch, Bruce Hoagland, Walter Holmes, Eric Keith, Barney Lipscomb, Barbara MacRoberts, Michael MacRoberts, Andrew McDonald, Tom Patterson,
Jackie Poole, Michael Powell, Nelson Rich, Monique Reed, David Rosen, Jason
Singhurst, Bruce Sorrie, Billie Turner, and Damon Waitt. Contributions from Jackie Poole have been
especially significant and support from The Nature Conservancy is gratefully
acknowledged for publication costs of the initial data. Loosely organized, we are the Texas
Non-native Plants Group, non-profit
and open to anyone.
Data
are updated when new information is available and input is sought and welcomed
from everyone with an interest. Contacts
for TexasNonNatives.org are Jed Aplaca <Jed.Aplaca@cityofhouston.net>,
Guy Nesom <guynesom@sbcglobal.net>, and
Justin Williams <bio_JKW@shsu.edu>.
The Texas Non-native Plants Group
(TNNPG) deals only with plants
and is independent from the Texas Invasive Plant &
Pest Council (TIPPC; www.texasinvasives.org), which has broader
goals. With regard to a comprehensive
account of invasive species, TIPCC uses a protocol based on detailed
documentation to assess selected species toward developing a TIPCC ranked
list. These detailed assessments in turn
may justify consideration of these species by the Texas Dept. of
Agriculture in formulation and refinement of a list with regulatory
standing. Information presented at TexasNonNatives.org
hopefully will be useful to the more formal aims of TIPCC.
Other
states of the southeastern USA have accounts of non-native and invasive plants
similar in format to what is presented at TexasNonNatives.org. IPC = Invasive Plant Council. EPPC = Exotic Pest Plant Council.
Alabama
IPC (ca. 70 species) Florida
EPPC
(ca. 150 species)
Georgia EPPC (ca. 150 species) Kentucky EPPC (93 species)
Mississippi EPPC (190 species)
Tennessee EPPC (130 species)
North
Carolina EPPC South
Carolina EPPC (89 species)
* Last updates 3 February 2011
Citation: Texas
Non-native Plants Group.
2010. Texas non-native plants:
Overview of occurrence and invasiveness assessments [or Data subset]. TexasNonNatives.org
Web site.
<http://www.texasnonnatives.org>