Battle of the Invasives

Forget about Alien vs Predator, we have two aggressive invaders that battle it out throughout much of NJ:

  • In one corner, from the wilds of China, Korea, and Japan, an especially thorny rose introduced as "the living fence", we have Multiflora Rose.
  • In the other corner, also from Japan and eastern Asia originally introduced as an ornamental shrub and that provides a haven for ticks, we have Japanese Barberry.

These are 2 of the most common and aggressive invasive shrubs [1] in this area. Some places may be dominated by one or the other, though a lot of times you'll see both plants crowding out our beneficial native plants. 

At Washington Valley Park I saw the pair of shrubs both fighting for basically the same spot. At a glance you might not even recognize there are 2 separate plants here.

Multiflora Rose and Japanese Barberry
August 3, 2021 at Washington Valley Park
Photo 149026850, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

As you get closer, you can see the vicious thorns and the leaves of a Multiflora Rose.

Multiflora Rose
August 3, 2021 at Washington Valley Park
Photo 149026878, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Looking elsewhere among the greenery, you can see the lines of spatula-like leaves of the Japanese Barberry.

Japanese Barberry
August 3, 2021 at Washington Valley Park
Photo 149026996, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

I don't know if one of these plants generally wins these struggles. I suspect Japanese Barberry being dense enough to shadow out a small Multiflora Rose, but Multiflora Rose can grow taller and if it can survive the initial battle for sunlight I suspect it would get the upper hand.

[1] Common Mugwort and Lesser Celandine are also prominent invasives, though they identify as non-shrub wildflowers.

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