Shrubs

🌳 SHRUBS

MULTIFLORA ROSE: Rosa multiflora: Thorny shrub that forming dense thickets; spreads rapidly crowding out native species and altering habitats. 

Identification:
• Stem: Long, arching canes with downward-curved thorns
• Leaves: Compound with 5–11 serrated leaflets, fringed at the base
• Flowers: Small, white, 5 petals in clusters (late spring)
• Fruit: Bright red rose hips in fall

 

multiflora rose (Photo Credit James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org)

 

BURNING BUSH:   Euonymus alatus (AKA “Winged” Euonymus): Deciduous ornamental shrub with winged branches; escapes cultivation and dominates forest edges and understories. Spreads aggressively in woodlands.  

Identification:
• Stem: Corky “winged” ridges on mature branches
• Leaves: Oval, finely toothed, turn bright red in fall
• Flowers: Small greenish blooms (spring)
• Fruit: Red berries enclosed in pink capsules (fall)

 

  burning bush

 (Photo Credit: Bary Rice, Sarracenia.com, Bugwood.org)


JAPANESE KNOTWEED:  Fallopia japonica: Tall bamboo-like perennial that spreads rapidly through rhizomes, forming dense colonies; breaks through pavement and degrades riparian habitats damaging infrastructure and outcompeting native plants.

Identification:
• Stem: Hollow, jointed, reddish, bamboo-like
• Leaves: Broad, heart- or spade-shaped (up to 6” long)
• Flowers: Tiny white flowers in plume-like clusters (late summer)
• Fruit: Small winged seeds (often sterile)

  japanese knotweed

Photo Credit: J. Randall & Doug Mancinelli

 

JAPANESE BARBERRY: Berberis thunbergii: A spiny shrub that tolerates shade and creates dense stands that invades woodland edges; alters soil chemistry and encourages tick populations.

Identification:
• Stem: Thin, woody, with sharp spines
• Leaves: Small, spoon-shaped, green to reddish-purple
• Flowers: Pale yellow, drooping clusters (spring)
• Fruit: Bright red berries (fall/winter)

  japanese berry

   Photo Credit: NPS Photo/Sophia Cameron & Doug Mancinelli