Click Here For Placemark The Everglades also face an ongoing threat from the melaleuca tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia). Sprinkled from airplanes using salt and pepper shakers, the tiny seeds of the thirsty tree were intended to suck up the water and make the "land" of the Everglades suitable for development. The tree remains a useless invasive species. The oils in the trees are also highly flammable, leading to increased danger from wildfires


The two most serious exotic plants which threaten to replace the unique northern Everglades habitats found at A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge are the melaleuca tree and Old World climbing fern.Together, these two invasive exotic plants affect nearly 75% of refuge lands. The refuge holds the dubious title of having the worst melaleuca and climbing fern infestations in south Florida. Melaleuca affects nearly 49% of the refuge, an estimated 71,000 acres, To date, the refuge has spent over $1 million attempting to eradicate this tree
Although over 2.4 million melaleuca trees and seedlings have been killed and an estimated 6,800 acres have been treated, the program at best has had limited success due to inadequate funding.