Are there many exotic plant species growing wild in Florida?
YES! – according to the University of South Florida, almost one-third of the plants growing wild in Florida are non-native and some of these have become serious problems. Is it possible that I’ve seen invasive exotic plants and didn’t even realize it? YES! – Floridians are commonly surrounded by these plants, on our roads, in our backyards, and in natural areas. Check out the following web site, it has photos of many plants commonly found in Florida – chances are you’ve seen quite a few of these plants. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/photos.html How do invasive exotic plants spread? – Seeds from invasive exotic plants can be spread by wind (for example microscopic spores from Old World climbing fern), by water (for example, melaleuca trees in the Everglades), or by birds or other wildlife that eat the fruit and deposit the seeds in droppings far from the original tree (for example, Brazilian pepper and carrotwood). Others spread from expanding underground root systems (for example, suckeri
