Invasive and exotic plants database (distribution)

Around 3200 nonnative (alien, introduced, exotic) plant species have been introduced to the continental United States and Canada (North America, NAM) through accidental and intentional releases. Some of these species have become invasive by out-competing native biota for resources, thus threatening native communities and reducing species diversity. This data publication contains a spatial database of 3021 naturalized plant species in the United States and Canada. All species on the list have been found in the past in NAM with such data (ever since the first species was recorded), however the distribution/climate data were compiled in 2023-2024. For each species we provide: 1) the location and range of that species found in North America along with the annual temperatures and precipitation for that location; and 2) the location and range of that same species across the globe and the associated annual temperatures and precipitation.
The purpose of this database is to provide data that could help locate where the invasives currently are and predict where they might spread to under various climate and land use conditions in the future (Guo et al. 2009; Guo et al. 2024).
For more information about this study and these data, see Guo et al. (2024).