Non-Native Invasive Species

Onionweed or (1) Asphodelus fistulosus –  (2)Onionweed is a perennial in the lily family and grows to about a foot tall and almost a foot wide. The plant resembles chives or scallions. The flat flowers on the plant are less than half-inch across and are white with a pink center line. This plant is often confused with some of Arizona’s native onions. The blades of grass that consist of the plant are very bright green.  The species of plant is a very aggressive one. (3-4) It was first introduced as an ornamental plant. Its seeds regularly and can form large populations very quickly. This plant is also indigestible to cattle and most wildlife. Onionweed is native to southern Europe, Mediterranean Africa, and Western Asia. These plants were introduced to The United States in the 1980’s. 

Onion Weed

Buffelgrass or (1) Pennisetum Ciliare-  (2) Buffelgrass is a shrubby grass that grows anywhere from one and half feet to three feet in height. They come off as very messy looking and not what you would imagine grass blades looking; uniform and organized. They are more so a plant than a field of grass. The branch or twig on them is more of a gray toned color and the blade itself is a vibrant green.  The plant is a primarily a warm season grass. (3) Although after a good rainfall it will near grow anytime if it is under 3000 in our region.  The reason the plant is successful is because it doesn’t require much water to survive and when it gets water it takes from other plants getting the amount of water they need to survive. If buffelgrass is not controlled it spreads like wildfire taking over every inch of land. Buffelgrass is also a big issue when it comes to wild land fires, because it is such a dry plant it’s easily burnable and the results after a fire don’t kill off the seed and it is one of the first things that regrows in the area, whereas most native desert plants are killed. It is also know that buffelgrass depletes soil fertility, and when it dies it leaves behind a sterile wasteland.  (4) The species is native to Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia, and nearby tropical islands. It is most prominent in southern Arizona now and can be found mostly on the road sides on the shoulder and open fields. Buffelgrass was introduced to the United States in the 1930’s as livestock feed.

Buffelgrass

Fountain Grass or (1) Pennisetum Setaceum – (2) This grass is an attractive flowing soft looking type of grass. It can grow up to three feet tall and wide. The leaves can be anywhere from 11-30 inches long from the base. The color variation is an off white and purplish. The plant texture is that of soft silky hairs are over in an inch long and surround the fruits. (3) This is mostly alive in the warm season between July and September. The fountain grass can also flower most of the year if it’s below 3000 feet.  Fountain grass can spread very quickly due to how many seeds in produces and competes with other native plants for space, water, and nutrients. This plant, like the buffelgrass, also provides a lot of fuel for wild land fires. (4) Fountain grass originated from North Africa and the Middle East. In Arizona it is widespread in Phoenix, Tucson, Ajo, and Gila Bend areas.  Fountain grass was originally used in Tucson in the early 1940’s in urban landscapes and refined in Soil Conservation Nursery.

Fountain Grass

(5). Five ways a non-native invasive species can alter an ecosystem

1.       The area can be overtaken by the invasive species and kill off the native species.

2.       The invasive species can take all the of nutrients need for the native plant to live, causing extinction of the native species.

3.       They invasive species can damage the soil in the area causing it to be non-fertile.

4.       These species can cause wide spread fires more so than some native species due to how dry many of the species are.

5.       Many invasive species in water can alter the ecosystem by consuming mass areas of the surface making it hard for native species to survive.