Rocky Brushy Creek Watershed Mgmt. Plan (2007) -- Part 2

EXISTING NATURAL SYSTEMS CONDITIONSshades-out, and displaces native vegetation. The bark, leaves, and seeds are poisonous to farmand domestic animals. Chinaberry is a landscape element on residential properties in thewatershed.Skunk VineSkunk vine, a woody vine from Asia, actually doessmell more-or-less skunk-like. The aggressive,competitive plant may grow high into the trees in avariety of habitats, from mesic hammocks to xericsand hill communities. It appears to prefer sunnyfloodplains and bottomlands, and can even growunder water. Reportedly introduced in 1897 as a"potential fiber crop", skunk vine now occursthroughout the southeastern U.S. Herbarium recordsindicate that skunk vine grows in at least 17 counties of central and north central Florida. Its stemsroot freely. This species is prevalent on the edges of the Stream and Lake Swamp habitat(FLUCFCS 615).Chinese TallowLike melaleuca, the Chinese tallow is a tree that grows andspreads rapidly, is difficult to kill, and tends to take over largeareas by out-competing native plants. Chinese tallow isspreading rampantly in large natural areas, including PaynesPrairie State Preserve near Gainesville, state-owned protectedlands along the St. Johns River. It is a landscape element onresidential property and has escaped into all but the xeric plantcommunities.Brazilian PepperBrazilian pepper is one of the most aggressive of the invasive nonindigenousplants in Florida. It is invading aquatic and terrestrialhabitats, greatly reducing the quality of native biotic communities inthe state. Brazilian pepper is from South America, and was probablyintroduced as an ornamental in the mid 1800s. Since it is not coldhardy, the tree occurs mostly in southern Florida. Brazilian pepperis indigenous to the coast of tropical Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina (Ewel, 1986). It was presentin Florida in the early 1840's (Barkley, 1944) and was re-introduced into Florida in 1898 (Morton,1978). This plant was once sold as a landscape ornamental because it produced dense masses ofscarlet berries. The species is established in mangrove swamps in the Rocky Creek and ChannelA estuaries.8-40Rocky/Brushy Creek Watershed Management Plan