Holiday correspondence of all kinds, from party invitations to campaigns of charity, was making the rounds via every possible means just a few short days ago.
While most seasonal decorations in panhandle Florida’s parks, businesses and places of worship have been removed, a few still remain up, and the memory of them all is still imprinted in the mind. A few were quite creative in their contemporary attempts to innovate and distinguish themselves from everyone else.
Traditionalist styles, while predictable, are the easiest to identify with their time-tested motifs and color schemes. The red and green style of holly-based decorations extends back centuries.
Unfortunately, there are some green leaved plants which are currently producing copious amounts of red berries that are a problem for all residents, human or otherwise, of panhandle Florida. Nandina (Nandina domestica), sometimes called Heavenly Bamboo, and Coral Ardisia (Ardisia crenata) are two invasive plants which have become established in the southeast.
Coral Ardisia’s red berries and waxy green leaves belie the malevolent results if its spread is left unchecked. If the seeds are not removed and destroyed, one plant soon becomes hundreds of plants.
Both plants were imported to be sold in the ornamental horticulture trade. With few natural enemies and the capacity to produce abundant quantities of seeds annually, each has escaped far beyond the manicured landscapes of decades past.
Each is considered a problem because they flourish and colonize wherever their vigorous seeds are dropped. Birds do most of the relocation work because the seed containing berries are bright and attractive during the dormant season, when dietary selections are limited.
Any untended or remote piece of land has the potential to be the next germination site. Homeowners and property managers may spend hundreds of dollars removing and properly disposing of these unwanted plants.
Establishment in isolated or inaccessible locations is especially detrimental to wildlife. Both Nandina and Coral Ardisia have the capacity to crowd out beneficial native plants and deny the native fauna access.
Each plant is distinctive and relatively easy to identify in the landscape or wild. Nandina, a native to east Asia, is not a bamboo species, though its stems have some resemblance.
Under ideal conditions it can reach seven feet in height, but it usually grows to four to five feet. This plant is an evergreen in north Florida but may display deciduous characteristics in colder latitudes.
New leaves emerge in spring and are pink to red, but they turn green as they mature. When mature and preparing to fall off, they will turn red to purple.
Recent developments by plant breeders and commercial nurseries have produced non-invasive cultivars of Nandinas. This important feature will be noted at the point of sale.
These plants are toxic to mammals, especially to livestock which may consume quantities while grazing, and cats. Birds generally are not affected by the toxicity, but some avian species may die from consuming excessive quantities of the berries.
Coral Ardisia, also a native of east Asia, is an evergreen with glossy deep green leaves. Under ideal conditions this invasive plant can exceed five feet in height but is usually in the two-to-three-foot range.
This plant prefers moist soil and can germinate in heavy shade. A trait which makes north Florida especially susceptible to colonization by this plant is it will flourish in a wide range of soil pH’s.
As the new year comes into focus and the holiday season is left behind, both plants still stand out with displays of red and green. Regrettably, they perennially remain on Santa’s list of naughty landscape plants which became invasive weeds.
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