Yellow Archangel (Lamium argentatum), a European groundcover with strikingly variegated leaves, handsome yellow flowers and a habit for perpetual growth. The plant was listed as … 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
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
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
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
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
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
Lion’s Tail (Leonotis leonurus)
Lion’s Tail (Leonotis leonurus), a spectacular Southern African member of the mint family. Brought to Australia as a garden ornamental (the species was available from … Read the full post
Great Mullein, Shepherd’s Club, Velvet Weed (Verbascum thapsus)
Great Mullein, Shepherd’s Club, Velvet Weed (Verbascum thapsus), a broad-leaved Eurasian biennial herb flowering in its second season. The plant was introduced to Melbourne no … Read the full post
Nemesia hybrid cultivars (Nemesia cv.)
Nemesia hybrid cultivars (Nemesia cv.), growing as an infestation over a block and a half of East Melbourne. Nemesia as a genus stems exclusively from … Read the full post
Purple-top (Verbena bonariensis)
Purple-top (Verbena bonariensis), specifically the variety V. bonariensis var. bonariesis. The other is var. conglomerata, which this channel covered earlier in the season. As noted … Read the full post
Purple-top, or Argentine, Tall or Wild Vervain (Verbena bonariensis var. conglomerata)
Purple-top, or Argentine, Tall or Wild Vervain (Verbena bonariensis), an infamous presence in the lowland pastures of NSW and QLD from the 1850s or earlier, … Read the full post
Bear’s Breeches, Oyster Plant (Acanthus mollis)
Bear’s Breeches, Oyster Plant (Acanthus mollis), saccharine ancestral totem of the Victorian garden, and another adventive discard that successfully makes its own way in the … Read the full post
Slender Vervain (Verbena rigida)
Slender Vervain (Verbena rigida) on the cusp of weediness at Boroondara (Kew) General Cemetery. Verbana rigida was an early introduction to Victoria as a popular … Read the full post
Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis)
Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis), a nearly ubiquitous temperate weed of stone and brick structures. Originating in the European Alps, the plant was spread across Europe … Read the full post