California Horticultural Invasives Prevention (Cal-HIP) partnership

Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) is an invasive plant that was introduced as an ornamental landscaping plant
Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) is an invasive plant that was introduced as an ornamental landscaping plant

Photo courtesy Carolyn Martus

In 2004, Cal-IPC helped form the California Horticultural Invasives Prevention (Cal-HIP) partnership. The partnership is facilitated by the nonprofit Sustainable Conservation, and includes broad representation of the nursery and landscaping industries, environmental groups, academics and government representatives. The partnership develops voluntary measures to reduce the number of invasive plant species sold in California and to prevent further invasions from horticulture. Click here for the full list of current Cal-HIP members.

The Cal-HIP partnership has compiled a list of ornamental plants that have become invasive in California and that are still available through horticulture. Click here for the current list of ornamental invasive plants. In addition, Cal-HIP has created a list of ornamental plants that can be used as suitable alternatives to the invaders. The PlantRight campaign has been developed to bring this information to the public.

For some plants there are unresolved questions: about which cultivars are invasive, about which regions are vulnerable to a particular plant, and about which types of habitats are most vulnerable. Future research will seek to answer these questions. In addition, the partnership will begin to address the issue of screening potential new introductions.

For information on landscaping alternatives for invasive plants, see PlantRight.org and Cal-IPC’s Don’t Plant a Pest! page.

Documents Related to Cal-HIP

Organizations Participating in Cal-HIP

  • American Nursery and Landscape Association
  • Association of Professional Landscape Designers
  • Bay-Friendly Landscaping & Gardening Coalition
  • Belmont Nursery
  • California Agricultural Commissioner and Sealers Association
  • California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers
  • California Department of Food and Agriculture
  • Califorina Farm Bureau Federation
  • California Invasive Plant Council
  • California Native Plant Society
  • California Seed Association
  • Huntington Botanical Gardens
  • Monrovia Growers
  • Sustainable Conservation
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • UC Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners Program
  • UC Davis
  • University of Washington
  • Village Nurseries
  • Yamagami’s Nursery

Other Programs Addressing Invasive Ornamentals