IPAW Working Definitions

Invasive Plants are non-indigenous species or strains that become established in natural plant communities and wild areas and replace native vegetation.

Weeds are undesirable and troublesome plants growing in disturbed areas, especially cultivated ground.

Potentially Invasive Plants (for Wisconsin) are species that are invasive in parts of North America having similar climates and plant communities, and that are thought to have the potential to colonize and become invasive in Wisconsin.

Sometimes Invasive Natives are native plants that can become overly abundant in a plant community to which they are indigenous, often in response to a change in the disturbance regime.

Indigenous means occurring naturally in a specific area or plant community; not introduced.