Native vs. non-native vs. invasive - Ask Extension
I'm teaching a gardening class at Ashbrook Independent School in Corvallis. Questions keep coming up about native vs. non-native.
What is the thoug...
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Native vs. non-native vs. invasive #427000
Asked September 15, 2017, 5:18 PM EDT
I'm teaching a gardening class at Ashbrook Independent School in Corvallis. Questions keep coming up about native vs. non-native.
What is the thought on this. Is it okay to plant non-native plants if they are not listed as invasive? Example: I planted multiple varieties of blackberry bushes at my home. Mostly non-thorn... I ensured that I did NOT plant Himalayan as I know they are invasive. If they are not native to oregon, but also non-invasive, is it okay or not recommended.
Thank you!
Benton County Oregon
Expert Response
Thanks for your question about native vs. non-native plants. So, I'm sure you're aware that the definition of a "native" plant is one that has been in this ecoregion long enough that it has become accustomed to our environment--soil, precipitation, temperature ranges, etc.--but has also formed relationships with other biotic entities in its region, such as insects, fungi, bacteria, animals, and so on. In many cases, the relationships are critical to the species' existence; in others, they are mutually complementary and form symbiotic relationships.
Plants can be non-native, and not be invasive. Japanese maple trees are a good example of a plant that is native to a similar environment, and a member of a species (Acer) that has several Oregon natives. The problem that has arisen over the years in importing species from other regions--typically but not always another continent--is that they bring their friends with them. Pathogens, insects and DNA which, when "shared" with our native plants, insects and bacteria/fungi/etc. either change them or, in some situations, completely obliterate them. (The azalea lace bug is one current scourge of the nursery business and home gardeners.) These 'foreigners' don't have any resistance (to pathogens) or any balancing factors (such as parasitic or predatory insects), so they can run rampant in native populations.
The other down side of non-native species is that they don't do anything positive in our environment. If you want to read a really excellent book on the topic (with loads of practical examples), get "Bringing Nature Home" by Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy, an entomologist. He explains (and documents) the incredibly diametric helpfulness that native plants provide to other native members of the ecoregion, as compared to the non-natives. (The current debate about the usefulness of lawns versus pollinator-friendly yards is just one example of how this plays out in daily choices we make about our environment.
I'm assuming you've already found it, but this publication is an amazing compilation of native plants, and its information about their importance and usefulness is easy to understand and to use as a teaching modality. (I do in my talks about Native Plants, and it has been uniformly well-received by my listeners.)
Hope this is helpful. Please write back if I can contribute more to the discussion!
Plants can be non-native, and not be invasive. Japanese maple trees are a good example of a plant that is native to a similar environment, and a member of a species (Acer) that has several Oregon natives. The problem that has arisen over the years in importing species from other regions--typically but not always another continent--is that they bring their friends with them. Pathogens, insects and DNA which, when "shared" with our native plants, insects and bacteria/fungi/etc. either change them or, in some situations, completely obliterate them. (The azalea lace bug is one current scourge of the nursery business and home gardeners.) These 'foreigners' don't have any resistance (to pathogens) or any balancing factors (such as parasitic or predatory insects), so they can run rampant in native populations.
The other down side of non-native species is that they don't do anything positive in our environment. If you want to read a really excellent book on the topic (with loads of practical examples), get "Bringing Nature Home" by Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy, an entomologist. He explains (and documents) the incredibly diametric helpfulness that native plants provide to other native members of the ecoregion, as compared to the non-natives. (The current debate about the usefulness of lawns versus pollinator-friendly yards is just one example of how this plays out in daily choices we make about our environment.
I'm assuming you've already found it, but this publication is an amazing compilation of native plants, and its information about their importance and usefulness is easy to understand and to use as a teaching modality. (I do in my talks about Native Plants, and it has been uniformly well-received by my listeners.)
Hope this is helpful. Please write back if I can contribute more to the discussion!
