Invasive Alien Plant Species in Tropical Forests of Eastern Ghats in Northern Andhra Pradesh, India

The study undertaken to document the invasive alien plant species in the Eastern Ghats of northern Andhra Pradesh, with background information on family, habit and nativity. A total of 87 invasive alien plant species under 73 genera, belonging to 32 families were reported. Asteraceae is the most dominant family with 11 species, about 50 species of these alien species were introduced from American region. Analysis of habitat shows that herbs are dominant (46 species) followed by trees (17), shrubs (14), grasses (6) and climbers (4). The occurrence of the present share of alien species and their naturalization cannot be considered safe for native and endemic flora. A better planning is need for early detection to control and reporting of infestations of spread of new and naturalized weeds to be monitored.