Section I. About Invasive Plants - definitions, issues, history, and management options

Introduction: The Invasive Species Challenge

Chapter 1. Using This Book: A brief explanation of how to use the identification key and how to find more information about species that interest the reader.

Chapter 2. The Aliens Landed Long Ago and Keep Arriving: A definition and introduction to why, in some areas of wild America, over 70% of the plants are not natives but invited and uninvited immigrants. Also an objective look at the arguments for the benefits of alien species.

Chapter 3. Changing America: What immigrant plants have done to and for their new land. A brief survey of the major hotspots and critical problems. An example would include the increased frequency of range fires caused the spread of cheatgrass in Utah and Colorado.

Chapter 4. Managing the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A primer on the basic approaches to controlling and resolving problems from prevention to eradication

Chapter 5. A Quick Key to Identifying Major Species of Invasive Plants: A step by step guide for the user with the familiar biology key format.

Section II. A Field Guide To Individual Species

Each plant, sometimes accompanied by closely related plants, has two pages. One shows pictures of the plant with its most identifiable and typical features. The facing page has information under the following topics:

Name and Family (the Latin and common names of the plant and its family and other plants that might be confused with it)

Identifying Characteristics

Habitat and Range (in the United States and Canada)

What it Does in the Ecosystem (Competition, Interactions, Results)

How It Came to North America

Management (methods of control)

For More Information (references for this species)

Section III. Where to Get Information

A short, annotated bibliography of the most accessible and useful articles, books and Internet sites. We recommend Internet sites because they tend to be always up to date and changing with new knowledge.

GLOSSARY

INDEX