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Timing is everything, especially when dealing with invasive species. The key to successfully chemically treating Himalayan balsam and Giant hogweed is applying herbicide at the right time. Application needs to be when the plants are young and before they flower and begin to form seed. Chemical application should be made early in the growing season
Lagarosiphon major – Curly Waterweed Other common name: Curly water thyme Family: Hydrocharitaceae Genus: Lagarosiphon are semi-evergreen, submerged aquatic perennials forming a cluster of branched stems clothed in spirally arranged, linear-lanceolate leaves, and tiny white or pink flowers in summer. Details: All plants in GB are female; all dispersal must therefore be by vegetative means and is
Oxalis acetosella – Wood sorrel Other common name: Alleluia Family: Oxalidaceae Genus: It is a rhizomatous plant from the genus Oxalis, common in most of Europe and parts of Asia. Details: The plant has trifoliate compound leaves, the leaflets heart-shaped and folded through the middle, that occur in groups of three. It flowers from spring to midsummer. During the night or when it
Allium paradoxum – Few-Flowered Leek Other common name: Few-flowered garlic Family: Amaryllidaceae This small bulb is a popular garden plant but in the wild it’s most common in deciduous woodlands and along hedgerows and river banks. This species is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act in England and Wales. Details: It forms very
Carpobrotus edulis – Hottontot Fig Other common name: Ice plant and in South Africa as the sour fig, on account of its edible fruit. Family: Aizoaceae Genus: Carpobrotus, another species that’s very popular as an ornamental garden plant. This one is quite easy to distinguish with its 3-angled succulent leaves and large yellow flowers that
Family: Polygonaceae Genus: It is a giant, erect perennial herb which forms dense thickets. Stems grow 4-5 m in a single season and bear large, alternate leaves up to 40cm long with heart-shaped bases. In summer plants bear dense panicles of small green-white flowers and seed is sometimes produced. It hybridises with Japanese Knotweed to give
Senecio jacobaea– Common Ragwort Other common name: Stinking willie Family: Asteraceae Genus: Jacobaea is not usually a significant problem in gardens, but its poisonous qualities can make it a serious weed of paddocks and gardens backing onto fields grazed by horses or cattle. Details: Ragwort is a tall erect plant to 90cm, bearing large flat-topped clusters of yellow daisy-like flowers
Rumex Obtusifolius– Broad-leaved Dock Other common name: Bitter dock Family: Polygonaceae Genus: Broad-leaved dock can be found throughout the UK, it is a native species commonly found on waste grounds, farmland, hedgerows, road side verges, woodlands and gardens, and thrives in high nitrogen environments. Details: The species is slightly poisonous and can cause sickness in livestock, the milky sap
I was recently involved in an exchange on twitter where my understanding of the term “invasive species” was questioned, so I thought I would look into other points of view and share a little information. In many places (particularly South Africa and Australia), “invasive species” is a term used exclusively to identify non-native species which
Buddleja davidii – Butterfly bush Family: Scrophulariaceae Genus: Buddleja can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs, occasionally trees or scrambling climbers with simple leaves and panicles of small, tubular fragrant flowers Buddleja or as it is often spelt Buddleia is often referred to as the Butterfly bush because, as the name suggests of its attractiveness to butterflies. It is a
