Native invasive plants

Can a "native" species be called an invader? Whether an invader is native or not is irrelevant. If it spreads into an area, forms monocultures, and results in a marked decrease in diversity, it is undesirable and should be controlled.

Here are a few native invaders that under some conditions meet these criteria.

Latin name	Common name	Clonal?	Comments
Shrubs and trees
Celastrus scandens	American bittersweet	No	Twining; forms berries
Cornus racemosa	Gray dogwood	Yes	Prairies and open savannas
Cornus stolonifera	Red-osier dogwood	Yes	Wet areas
Corylus Americana	Hazel	Under some conditions	Definitely invasive in Minnesota; probably in Wisconsin
Juniperus communis	Common juniper	No	Fire-sensitive; forms berries
Populus grandidentata	Big-toothed aspen	Yes	Root suckers
Populus tremuloides	Quacking aspen	Yes	Root suckers
Rhus glabra	Smooth sumac	Yes	Probably allelopathic; prefers sunny areas; root suckers; can dominate a site
Rhus hirta	Staghorn sumac	Yes	Probably allelopathic; prefers sunny areas; root suckers; can dominate a site
Rubus allegheniensis	Blackberry	Yes	Forms patches
Rubus flagellaris	Dewberry	Yes	Spreads close to ground
Rubus idaeus	Red raspberry	Yes	Forms very dense clones;
Rubus occidentalis	Black-cap, black raspberry	Yes	Tip roots
Salix exigua	Sandbar willow	Yes	Wetlands; root suckers; forms very dense clones; can dominate a site
Salix humilis	Prairie willow	No	Only rarely invasive
Vitis spp.	Grape	No	Climbs
Zanthoxylum americanum	Prickly ash	Yes	Prairies and open savannas
Herbaceous plants
Arnoglossum atriplicifolia	Pale Indian plantain	Yes	Root suckers
Helianthus divaricatus	Woodland sunflower	Yes
H. grosseserratus	Sawtooth sunflower	Yes
H. tuberosa	Jersualem artichoke	Yes
Solidago canadense	Canada goldenrod	Yes

Woodland Sunflower can easily destroy the habitat for dozens of native species. So can sumac.

Here is a recent review with many examples: Carey, Michael P. et al. 2012. Native invaders--challenges for science, management, policy, and society. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Volume 10(7): 373-381, doi:10.1890/11060 (published online 15 June 2012).