to multiple individuals at one time. The berries also contain alkaloids such as nantenine, which is used in scientific research as an antidote to MDMA (ecstasy). Status as an invasive species Nandina is considered invasive in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. It was placed on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council's invasive list as a Category I species, the highest listing. It has been observed in the wild in Florida in Gadsden, Leon, Jackson, Alachua and Citrus counties, in conservation areas, woodlands and floodplains. In general, the purchase or continued cultivation of non-sterile varieties in the southeastern United States is discouraged. It is also becoming invasive in wild areas farther north, and in May 2017 was added to the Maryland invasive plant list with a tier 2 status. Although grown extensively in Texas because of its tolerance for dry conditions, fruiting varieties of Nandina are considered invasive there. This is primarily due to birds spreading seeds into natural areas where Nandina proliferates and crowds out native species, both through seeding and by the growth of rhizomatous underground stems. Gallery Notes References External links Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening 3: 284–285. Macmillan. Flora of North America: Nandina domestica (deals with the species as an introduced plant) Nandina domestica database Nandina domestica information Species Profile - Sacred Bamboo (Nandina domestica), National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural Library Heavenly Bamboo information and resources Flora of Asia Berberidaceae genera Monotypic Ranunculales genera Berberidaceae Garden plants Ornamental plants