72 participants chose to respond to Question 9. Their responses included many common themes which are are shown in the graph, above. 5 respondents either gave me a definition very similar to ANLA's or simply said that their definition was the same as ANLA's (one helped write it).

One common issue was whether or not an invasive plant is indigenous. 16 respondents explicitly stated in their definition that an invasive plant is introduced or non-native to the place where it invcades. 3/16 wrote "usually non-native" to allow the possibility of indigenous invasives. On the other hand, 2 respondents felt strongly that an invasive plant could also be native and included that in their definition (one wrote "native or introduced"; the other wrote "native or cultivated"). 4 more said that invasive plants escape from their intended, original planting, showing that they recognize the association with horticultural escapes and invasive species.

22 of the respondents described plant traits in their definitions. 8 mentioned rapid growth, 11 mentioned rapid spread (it was often ambiguous as to whether they meant spread of an individual plant or a plant population), 4 described spread by seed, 2 by vegetative means or roots, and 3 mentioned asexual reproduction.

44 of the respondents described invasive plants' effects on their surroundings. 16 said that invasive plants become dominant (or "take over" or "crowds out") where they have invaded, while 9 called invasive plants "agressive". 16 mentioned that they harm other plants, while 12 specified that they harm indigenous (native) plants. 2 respondents also mentioned that invasive plants lack natural methods of control, like competition and predation.

8 respondents mentioned the effect on managed lands by calling invasive plants "weeds" (4), or explicitly discussing the cost involved in controlling invasive plants (4). 2 of the respondents who called invasive plants weeds specifically called them "noxious weeds", while an additional respondent called them "noxious and persistently agressive non-native plant[s]". The use of the term noxious weed may indicate that these respondents associate their idea of an invasive plant to the regulatory definition of invasive weeds, which is generally limited to plants that are agricultural pests. Two of the respondents who used "noxious" also mentioned harm to other plants in natural systems. One, however, simply wrote "noxious weed."

In addition to the 12 who mentioned that invasive plants harm native plants, 10 mentioned invasive plants' effects on the environment or ecosystem (2 mentioned both) and five used the ANLA definition as their own, so 26/72 (36%) respondents explicitly stated that invasive plants effect an element of biodiversity.

21 respondents discussed plants on an aesthetic basis by saying that they were undesirable (9) and/or difficult to control or eradicate (14). Including the respondents who called invasive plants "weeds", 25/72 (35%) of the respondents to question 9 discussed invasive plants in relation to human aesthetics that dictate desirable and undesirable (weedy) plants. Of these 25, 6 also mentioned that invasive plants harm other (4 specified "native") plants or the ecosystem. 19/72 (26%) defined invasive plants by relating them to anthropocentric values of desirability without discussing their effect on natural systems.

5 used specific plants as examples of invasive plants or as their sole definition of an invasive plant.

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