Alien Plant Identification Services

25/06/2019

Sorry about the FB silence.... I have relocated to Swaziland (now known as eSwatini) and am settling in.

I'm aghast at the variety and extent of invasive alien plants that are overrunning this beautiful country though - really sad to see.

11/10/2018

It's alarming that these lilies continue to be showcased 😲

Last weekend I saw enormous clumps of the yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) at the Harcourts Open Gardens at Benvie near Howick.

It is a category 1a invasive and if it gets into our waterways, it will cause major problems. Have we not learned our lesson from kariba w**d and other aquatic invasives? Please don't encourage the spread of these plants! Get to know your invasive aliens.

Call Mieke on ☎️ 082 678 4156 for advice on invasive alien plants.

08/10/2018

I want to start an eradication campaign against the Wax Tree in our area (Durban South Africa) - before more residents are harmed by its toxic properties. ☠️
If you have one in your property, please let me know by private message, so I can get an idea of its prevalence.
Thanks in advance.

Know your trees: Rhus tree causes allergic reactions

Find out more about the Rhus tree which has been around for decades and causes an allergic reaction in people.

https://highwaymail.co.za/303960/know-trees-rhus-tree-causes-allergic-reactions/

04/10/2018

Did you know? W**d Buster Week is almost over!

I challenge you to learn one new invasive plant every day.

I've featured it before, but the wax tree or Rhus (Toxicodendron succedaneum) is worth highlighting again because of the severe allergic reactions it can cause. Bruce Burger, a local gardener, experienced a severe rash after chopping down a neighbour's tree.

Don't mess with it - it bites back! Get expert advice, and call a w**d buster.

14/08/2018

🌼🌱 Is your gardener encouraging plant intruders?🌱🌼

With one day of training (in Zulu), help them to make a difference to our wildlife and environment by recognising invader plants.🐾🦉 🦋

Please call Mieke on ☎️ 082 678 4156 to book for this Thursday 16 August.

13/08/2018

Last chance to book for this intensive and informative session - in ZULU - on invasive alien plants!!

Do you employ a gardener or garden service to care for your garden?
Are they carefully pruning the Brazilian Peppertree, fertilising the Ginger Lily and tenderly deadheading the Tickseed flowers?
Does your gardener know that these are actually invasive alien plants, and they should be destroyed NOT encouraged?
With one day of training (in Zulu), help them to make a difference to our wildlife and environment.
Please call Mieke on 082 678 4156 to book a space.

26/07/2018

07/06/2018

Attention Upper Highway runners and walkers!!!
PLEASE be alert if you use Jan Smuts Avenue - keep a lookout for any signs of damage to our iconic London Plane trees. The shothole borer beetle has been recorded at the Durban Botanical Gardens, and will kill our trees, unless we are proactive.
Tree symptoms include:
-Wet Stains on the bark at entry/exit holes.
-Sugar volcanoes on the bark at entry/exit holes (see pic)
-Gum exudate on the bark at entry/exit holes.
-Wood frass on the bark at entry/exit holes.
-Stained wood
-Wilting, branch dieback, and ultimately death of the tree.
For more info, please go to the link to Random Harvest Nursery in the comments section below for their very user-friendly write-up.

05/06/2018

The Tree daisy (Montanoa hibiscifolia) is in full flower now and lines the roadsides of Hillcrest and Kloof (Durban, South Africa). It originates from Central America, and is quite spectacular, which is why gardeners unwittingly leave it be. However, it spreads and displaces our indigenous vegetation. So if it is flourishing in your garden, please destroy it now, before it seeds and spreads further. http://www.invasives.org.za/component/k2/item/283-tree-daisy-montanoa-hibiscifolia

19/04/2018

The problem GROWS daily, with every invasive plant allowed to seed.................

Invasive alien species that costs South Africa's economy billions can be eliminated.

08/03/2018

Urgent appeal for cacti invasion sites in KZN:
The group of "Queen of the night" cacti (Cereus hexagonus, c. hildmannianus and C jamacaru) as well as the Harrisia cacti are all category 1a or b invasive alien plants with the potential to spread into agricultural grazing lands. Scientists have appealed for localities in KZN where these cacti occur so that biocontrol agents (a mealybug) can be released there to slow and hopefully halt the spread of these cacti on farmlands.
Please contact me on [email protected] if you can assist.

05/03/2018

Good morning all
Please be aware of the REVISED NEMBA A&IS REGULATIONS & REVISED NEMBA A&IS LISTS and make your voice heard! (Deadline for public comment - 16 March 2018).
The earlier regulations have thus been repealed.
Amongst other changes, the requirement for Declaration of IAS on transfer of a property, has been dropped.
The revised lists also include the following:
Cynodon dactylon - Bermuda grass, common couch - Category 2 (note this is an indigenous grass, that will now require a permit to plant)
Cyphomandra betacea - Tree tomato - Category 3
Lolium multiflorum - Italian ryegrass - Category 2
Lolium perenne - Perennial ryegrass - Category 2
Lonicera japonica - Japanese honeysuckle - Category 3
Morus nigra - Black mulberry - Category 3
Oenothera indecora - Evening primrose - Category 3
Oenothera rosea - Pink evening primrose - Category 3
Oenothera stricta - Sweet sundrop - Category 3
The lists are open for public comment as per the Government Gazette notice issued on Friday 16 February, 2018.