Identification:
Wild Chervil has leaves that alternate and are twice divided that look similar to ferns. There is often a rosette of leaves surrounding main flower stalk. Chervil has hollow stems up to 6 feet tall covered with fine hair, and flowers white with a five notched petal, borne in compound umbels. Chervil flowers much earlier than native members of the carrot family such as Queen Anne's Lace.

Threat to the Floodplain Forest:
Wild Chervil spreads very rapidly, producing hundreds of seeds per plant each year. It leafs out very early in the spring, shading out native plants. People walking along the trails are most likely responsible for its spread into the interior of the forest.

Identification:
Japanese Knotweed leaves are broadly ovate-lanceolate and grow up to 6 inches long. Stems are hollow and bamboo-like, that grow up to 10 feet tall covered with scales, growing from rhizomes that can be 65 feet in length. Their flowers are greenish-white, borne in racemes at the top of the plant. The stalks and leaves turn brown and die back following the first frost.

Threat to the Floodplain Forest:
Knotweed is an aggressive invader, forming dense strands that spread through tough rhizomes. Knotweed is easily spread by water when small portions of the stem or roots break off and travel downstream. Regular flooding of the forest spreads Knotweed from the stands along the riverbank into the interior of the forest. The heavy shade created by Knotweed prevents native plants from germinating.

Identification:
Reed Canary Grass is a perennial grass that grows up to 6 feet in height. Their leaves gradually taper toward the tip and are solid green, changing from green to purplish to tan as the seeds mature. The grass produces panicles 3-10 inches long, first appearing as upright spikes then gradually opening.

Threat to the Floodplain Forest:
Reed Canary Grass spreads quickly through rhizomes, forming dense monocultures that inhibit the germination of native species and grow too thickly to provide habitat for birds or rodents. It grows very quickly in exposed soil and could become a problem along the riverbanks.

Identification:
Autumn Olive's leaves alternate and are lance-shaped. This plant is dark green above and silvery below. Their bark is grayish tan and often dotted with yellow resin dots. Autumn Olive can reach heights up to 20 feet tall. Their flowers are very fragrant and are light yellow, tubular, that grow along twigs. Autumn Olives produce red to pink juicy berries dotted with silvery scales.

Threat to the Floodplain Forest:
Autumn olive contains nitrogen-fixing root nodules allowing it to thrive in poor quality soils. It creates heavy shade which suppresses native herbaceous plants and inhibits seedling germination.

Identification:
Common Buckthorn leaves grow sub-opposite and are smooth dull green with several pairs of veins curling toward the tip, similar to dogwood. They have small thorns located where the branch splits and adjacent to terminal bud on each branch. Their twigs show prominently raised speckles and thorn-like spur branches. Common Buckthorn is a shrub or small tree that can grow 20 feet in height. Their flowers are greenish-yellow and have four petals that originate from axils to form flat or rounded top clusters. They produce fleshy blackberries.

Threat to the Floodplain Forest:
Buckthorn is most successful in areas with high light levels and exposed soil. Due to the hydrological regime of the floodplain forest, regular flooding of the White River promotes these conditions by exposing soil and depositing nutrients. Light levels along the river are relatively high due to the gap formed by the river.

Identification:
Dames Rocket has leaves that alternate and are hairy, oblong, sharply toothed increasing in size toward the base of the stem that grows 2-3 feet high. They flower large clusters of fragrant white, pink, or purple with four petals. They produce fruit oblong pod that splits down the middle that are 2-4 inches long producing hundreds of seeds.

Threat to the Floodplain Forest:
Dames rocket prefers moist to mesic woodlands and is capable of tolerating low light levels. Due to its ability to produce large amounts of seeds from each plant, it can quickly spread. It can easily be identified by the basal rosette in late fall and early spring. Because it is a biennial, yearly monitoring is necessary to ensure eradication.

Identification:
Shrub Honeysuckle has oblong egg shaped leaves that grow opposite to one another and are 1-5 inches long. They have tan to brown shreddy stems with a hollow pith. They can grow up to 15 feet high. The flowers are pink, red, yellow, or white with five petals that are tubular and grow in leaf axils. They produce red, juicy berries.

Threat to the Floodplain Forest:
Honeysuckles can tolerate moderate shade and can easily become established in soils that have been disturbed making the floodplain forest an ideal habitat for them. Because they leaf out earlier than most native species, Honeysuckles shade the ground below them, reducing the species diversity of native herbaceous plants.

Identification:
Moneywort is a herbaceous creeping plant that can form dense mats covering the ground. The leaves grow opposite and are round and small (0.5-1 inch). The flowers are about the same size as the leaves with five yellow petals with small red spots that emerge from the leaf axils, although Moneywort often doesn’t flower at all.

Threat to the Floodplain Forest:
Moneywort spreads quickly forming dense mats that inhibit germination of native vegetation.

Identification:
Japanese Barberry is a dome-shaped woody shrub that grows 3-6 feet in height. Their leaves are wedge-shaped growing in rosettes directly off branches. They have single thorns located just below leaves. The stems are tan on the outside and bright yellow inside the bark, that grow 6-9 feet. Flowers are yellow with six petals growing singly or in small upside down umbel from leaf axils.

Threat to the Floodplain Forest:
Japanese Barberry is very tolerant of low light levels and is capable of growing in a variety of soils. The high nitrogen content of its leaves can alter soil nitrogen levels. Its dense foliage shades out native herbaceous plants.