How Pest Plants Spread

Bird Dispersal

A red-crested cardinal sits in the flowers of an octopus tree.
Birds provide the perfect air-carrier for some seeds. Seeds from fruits eaten by birds can travel many miles in this comfortable craft and survive the trip to settle in new lands.

Animal dispersal

Passionvine seedlings germinate in cow manure.
Pigs, cows, goats and other animals eat fruits that carry the seeds of pest plants. The seeds survive within their digestive tracts and are dispersed as the animal roams in search of other food sources. Once released the seeds have a convenient source of nutrients and grow easily.

Wind dispersal

Dandelion seeds are light and travel with the wind.
Tiny spores, miniature seeds and seeds with "wings" can be carried by the wind far beyond the location of their parent plant. They settle and take root, developing a new generation and a new home.

Vegetative spread

The water hyacinth multiplies through vegetative spread.
Many of the most challenging pest plants send out numerous shoots or reproduce easily from small pieces of stem or leaf. Gingers, cacti and water hyacinth spread in this way.

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