Winter Euryops (Euryops abrotanifolius), a shrub daisy previously endemic to the Western Cape fynbos of South Africa. This is a plant adapted to winter rainfall … Read the full post
Winter Heliotrope (Petasites pyrenaicus)
Winter Heliotrope (Petasites pyrenaicus), a modest aster from the damper corners of Mediterranean Europe. Introduced to Britain at the beginning of the 19th c., by … Read the full post
Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), the colour-changing Asian horticultural superstar, naturalised in damp forest situations around the world. While North American species were already known to … Read the full post
Winged Groundsel (Senecio pterophorus)
Winged Groundsel (Senecio pterophorus), a South African aster distributed internationally through contaminated wool, shipping ballast and other materials. Known commonly as African Daisy (as if … Read the full post
Southern Star (Oxypetalum coeruleum)
Southern Star (Oxypetalum coeruleum), a striking South American milkweed adopted into Victorian horticulture for its sky blue flowers. Indigenous to Uruguay and SE Brazil, the … Read the full post
Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens)
Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens), an evergreen perennial relative of Forget-me-nots, true Alkanet (Alkanna) and other members of the Borage family. The species is distinguishable from … Read the full post
Spanish Heath (Erica lusitanica)
Spanish Heath (Erica lusitanica), shining springtime fixture and prominent invader of Victoria’s acidic hill country. Introduced to England from Spain and Portugal at an early … Read the full post
Wood Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)
Wood Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), a member of a diminutive genus long prized for its free-seeding, wild character on neglected English country estates. Numerous temperate Forget-me-nots … Read the full post
Lesser Snapdragon (Misopates orontium)
Lesser Snapdragon (Misopates orontium), a minuscule Mediterranean annual naturalised across Europe and in similar climates around the world. Reportedly a weed of English cornfields, Lesser … Read the full post
Narrow-leaved Cotton Bush (Gomphocarpus fruticosus)
Narrow-leaved Cotton Bush (Gomphocarpus fruticosus), a South African milkweed and accidental host for the Monarch (Wanderer) butterfly. Known here as Swan Plant (floated in water, … Read the full post
Pelisser’s Toadflax (Linaria pelisseriana)
Pelisser’s Toadflax (Linaria pelisseriana), a slender purple-flowering member of Plantaginaceae originating in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Pelisser’s Toadflax was first recorded growing freely in … Read the full post
Devil’s Apple (Solanum linnaeanum)
Devil’s Apple (Solanum linnaeanum), a nightshade from Southern Africa adopted into ornamental use on the strength of its radiant, toxic fruit. Traditionally called Apple of … Read the full post
False Sowthistle (Reichardia tingitana)
False Sowthistle (Reichardia tingitana), a fancy, sand- and salt-loving yellow aster from the Mediterranean and Middle East. A plant of coastal dunes and saline deserts … Read the full post
Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum), a biennial Eurasian colonist of damp ground, introduced to Australia as a textile comb, grain contaminant and occasional ornamental and floriculture selection. … Read the full post
Common Thorn-apple (Datura stramonium)
Common Thorn-apple (Datura stramonium), a toxic annual member of the Nightshade family originating in C. America. Also known as the Devils Trumpet, as James Town … Read the full post
Stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens)
Stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens), an autumn-flowering annual aster with an aggressive aroma and Eurasian origin. Although the first Australian collection dates to 1876, Stinkwort was spreading … Read the full post
Trailing Snapdragon (Asarina procumbens)
Trailing Snapdragon (Asarina procumbens), a perennial snapdragon originating in the south of France where it grows in rock crevices. Broadly adopted as an ornamental selection, … Read the full post
Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)
Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), a Eurasian meadow mint turned cosmopolitan homesteader of temperate lawns and roadsides worldwide. Collected at Sydney as early as 1802, in those … Read the full post
Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca)
Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), an Argentinian perennial related both to cultivated Tobacco and Australia’s native Nicotianas. Highly toxic, it was introduced to Australia as an … Read the full post
Green Cestrum (Cestrum parqui)
Green Cestrum (Cestrum parqui), a toxic South American ornamental shrub that became a notorious killer of cattle in eastern Australia. Its seed is bird-distributed and … Read the full post
Yellow Glandweed (Bellardia viscosa)
Yellow Glandweed (Bellardia viscosa), a hemi-parasitic European broomrape spread to Australia in the late 19th century in contaminated grass seed. The species colonises paddocks, along … Read the full post
Cotton Fireweed (Senecio quadridentatus)
Cotton Fireweed (Senecio quadridentatus), a native Australian member of the genus demonstrating that its exotic cousins are not the only members of Senecio with capacity … Read the full post
African Thistle (Berkheya rigida)
African Thistle (Berkheya rigida), a fantastically prickled perennial aster introduced to Australian ports (and apparently no other global destination) in the ballast of empty ships … Read the full post
Paterson’s Curse (Echium plantagineum)
Paterson’s Curse (Echium plantagineum), a Western Mediterranean annual rendered iconic by the extent and impact of its Australian invasions. This colour out of space was … Read the full post
Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)
Horehound (Marrubium vulgare), a Eurasian medicinal herb and ubiquitous inland nuisance of grazed land and roadside throughout SE Australia. Unpalatable to sheep, with seed cases … Read the full post
Bluebell Creeper (Billardiera fusiformis)
Bluebell Creeper (Billardiera fusiformis), a Western Australian climbing shrub that has become a catastrophic success story following introduction to southeastern Australia as an ornamental native … Read the full post
Tobacco Nightshade (Solanum mauritianum)
Tobacco Nightshade (Solanum mauritianum), a South American shrub introduced to Australia as an ornamental selection, naturalised on that basis, and then distributed further as a … Read the full post
Laurestinus/Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus)
Laurestinus/Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) growing as a novel component in the damaged understoreys of Yarra Bend. Laurustinus was a core component of the Victorian garden toolkit, … Read the full post
Wild Sage (Salvia verbenaca)
Wild Sage (Salvia verbenaca), a Mediterranean steppe perennial introduced to Australia as a casual medicinal herb and a likely contaminant of imported seed or stock. … Read the full post
Boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. monilifera)
Boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. monilifera), this time profiling the presence of this invasive shrub aster in the inner metropolitan. The photographs here show the species … Read the full post