Native Plants

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Tuesday - September 15, 2009
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Seed and Plant Sources
Title: Looking for chinaberry trees to buy and plant in Austin
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I am looking to buy china berry small trees to plant in Austin , any suggestion where i might be able to buy them thank youANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants says: "Please, please, please don't plant Melia azeradach (chinaberry trees)." This is an introduced species from Asia that is very invasive. Here are several references that cite their invasiveness:Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group Least Unwanted
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States
Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States
US Forest Service Weed of the Week
Please consider one of the following as an alternative:
Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii (western soapberry)
Prunus mexicana (Mexican plum)
Fraxinus velutina (velvet ash)
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