Germination rate and seedling performance can be factors determining the successful establishment of non-natives and their interaction with native species. In this study, seeds of native S. virga-aurea and of two non-native S. altissima and S. gigantea were sown then transplanted to obtain their performances in terms of germination rate and growth rate in laboratory experimental settings. The objective was to measure the distinctive traits and to observe differential life history strategies between the native and non-native species. Overall, the average total height of seedlings, leaf length and final biomass were significantly different between the three species. S. gigantea, which has small seeds showed the highest performances in both germination and growth. While 50% of the non-native seeds have germinated within the first 8 days, seeds of the native S. virga-aurea took a longer time and germination rate remained lower than those of S. altissima and S. gigantea. These results suggested that non-native species compensated for their small seed size by high germination performances and high biomass production at seedling stage.