"Over the last 30 years, Chinese tallow has become a common tree in oil fields and bottomland swamps of coastal Louisiana. Several studies at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC), Lafayette, Louisiana, are aimed at understanding the factors that contribute to Chinese tallow growth, spread, and management.

When tallow invades, it eventually monopolizes an area, creating a forest without native animal or plant species. This tree exhibits classic traits of most nonnative invaders: it is attractive so people want to distribute it, it has incredible resiliency, it grows quickly and in a variety of soils, and it is resistant to pests." From the USGS fact sheet, Chinese Tallow: Invading the Southeastern Coastal Plain.

For more information on the Chinese tallow and other invasive species of the Central Southwest and Gulf Coast Region, visit CSWGCIN's Invasive Species Spotlight.