Invasive Non-native Plants
By Peter Burgess-Allen
The law concerning invasive non-native plants in England & Wales has recently been updated to include over 50 species. Previously only Japanese Knotweed, Giant Hogweed and some seaweeds were included.
From April 2010 a number of commonly grown garden and pond plants are now listed in Schedule 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act – meaning that it’s an offence to plant or "otherwise cause them to grow" in the wild. Confusingly, it is still legal to grow them in our gardens, and the law is unclear how natural seed dispersal will be interpreted.
Best practice, then, may be to:
- Avoid growing those species known to be a risk to native ecosystems. The charity Plantlife has produced a guide to plants you can use in place of invasive non-natives. Download the PDF below or call 01722 342755 for a copy.
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Gardening without harmful invasive plants.pdf
- Be meticulous when composting plant material that could propagate – i.e. seeds, corms, roots, stems.
BCA members should be particularly vigilant in monitoring those Civic Association boundary zones close to residential properties. Keep an eye out for garden waste that finds its way over the fence - especially where those sneaky compost bins have found their way into the woods!
As well as the ubiquitous knotweed and Himalayan Balsam, listed plants to look out for are montbretia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora) of South African parentage, Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa), several species of cotoneaster, and rhododendron (R. ponticum and R.p. x R maximum) originally from southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.
Montbretia - invasive garden plant
Image courtesy of GB Non-Native Species Secretariat
Other plants that thrive in Buxton, and are widely available at garden centres, have now been identified as threats to our countryside. These are Variegated yellow archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon subsp. Argentatum), Yellow rhododendron (Rhododendron luteum), small-leaved & wall cotoneaster (C. microphyllus & C. horizontalis).
As our climate changes, plants that find themselves introduced to our temperate zone may well be able to exploit new conditions faster than natives. Whilst this might be viewed as natural selection of a kind, many of these plants come without predators to keep them in check. It’s therefore up to us all to act as guardians for our natural heritage, and to do all we can to prevent disastrous invasions displacing our diverse ecologies.
What to do if you spot invasive species on (or near) BCA land:
- Get in touch with us as soon as possible:
By phone: 01298 26978
By e-mail: manager@poolescavern.co.uk - Describe what you’ve found, and where.
Links
>Set of very useful identification sheets for Schedule 9-listed invasive species from the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat website: secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/nonnativespecies
>List of all plant species currently included in Schedule 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act: Invasives and the law.pdf
>Wildlife & Countryside Act (Eng & Wales) - 2010 amended definitive list of invasive species: www.legislation.gov.uk
>Defra list of all plant & animal species in Schedule 9: Schedule 9 list.pdf
>Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981: www.jncc.gov.uk
Plants listed in Schedule 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act in England and Wales
- All species of the genus Elodea (waterweeds)
(including Canadian waterweed Elodea canadensis & Nuttall’s waterweed Elodea nuttallii) - Californian red seaweed Pikea californica
- Curly waterweed Lagarosiphon major
- Duck potato Sagittaria latifolia
- Entire-leaved cotoneaster Cotoneaster integrifolius
- Fallopia japonica x Fallopia sachalinensis (a hybrid knotweed)
- False Virginia creeper Parthenocissus inserta
- Fanwort (Carolina water-shield) Cabomba caroliniana
- Few-flowered leek Allium paradoxum
- Floating pennywort Hydrocotyle ranunculoides
- Floating water primrose Ludwigia peploides
- Giant hogweed Heracleum mantegazzianum
- Giant kelp Macrocyctis pyrifera, M. angustifolia, M. integrifolia, M. laevis
- Giant knotweed Fallopia sachalinensis
- Giant rhubarb Gunnera tinctoria
- Giant salvinia Salvinia molesta
- Green seafingers Codium fragile
- Himalayan cotoneaster Cotoneaster simonsii
- Hollyberry cotoneaster Cotoneaster bullatus
- Hooked asparagus seaweed Asparagopsis armata
- Hottentot-fig Carpobrotus edulis
- Indian balsam Impatiens glandulifera
- Japanese kelp Laminaria japonica
- Japanese knotweed Fallopia japonica
- Japanese rose Rosa rugosa
- Japanese seaweed Sargassum muticum
- Laver seaweeds (except native species) Porphyra species
- Montbretia Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora
- New Zealand pigmyweed Crassula helmsii
- Parrot’s-feather Myriophyllum aquaticum
- Perfoliate Alexanders Smyrnium perfoliatum
- Purple dewplant Disphyma crassifolium
- Red algae Grateloupia luxurians
- Rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum
- Rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum x Rhododendron maximum
- Small-leaved cotoneaster Cotoneaster microphyllus
- Three-cornered garlic Allium triquetrum
- Variegated yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon subsp. argentatum
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
- Wall Cotoneaster Cotoneaster horizontalis
- Water fern Azolla filiculoides
- Water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes
- Water lettuce Pistia stratiotes
- Water primrose Ludwigia grandiflora / Ludwigia uruguayensis
- Yellow azalea Rhododendron luteum
- Wakame Undaria pinnatifida