Wonkette

MR. CONNAUGHTON: Hello, I’m Jim Connaughton, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. . . . There’s work underway to remove these various invasive plants. They include the Australian pine, that’s a tree species, the Melaleuca — and you’ll see that, it’s sort of a choking species — and the Brazilian Pepper, which is a particularly nasty species –
Q The Brazilian what?
MR. CONNAUGHTON: Pepper.
Q Would you mind spelling all those, since the President is removing them?
MR. CONNAUGHTON: Yes, it’s Australian Pine. That’s straight forward.
Q Australian Pine?
MR. CONNAUGHTON: Pine, yes. Melaleuca, me-l –
Q “N” like Nancy?
MR. CONNAUGHTON: “M” as in Mary, e-l-a-l-e-u-c-a. And — what’s that?
Q What is –
MR. CONNAUGHTON: It’s not a tree plant, but it’s a very large aloe-type plant. It’s a thick — a thick, greeny, green plant.
Q Shrub?
MR. CONNAUGHTON: Well, you can call it a shrub, but it’s pretty big and thick.
Q (Inaudible.)
MR. CONNAUGHTON: Ought to be careful with that, that’s right. (Laughter)

Invasive species, indeed.

Press Gaggle by Trent Duffy and Jim Connaughton [WhiteHouse.gov]