False Strawberry (Potentilla indica), one of a number of species in a Rose-family genus adopted into herbal medicine and ornamental use. Native to monsoon Asia, … 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
Cut-leaved Evening Primrose (Oenothera laciniata)
Cut-leaved Evening Primrose (Oenothera laciniata), an annual or short-lived perennial from the sand prairies of the eastern United States. Introduced in 1770 to English cultivation … Read the full post
White Stonecrop (Sedum album)
White Stonecrop (Sedum album), a modest European succulent well-established in parts of coastal North America and a rare or perhaps just cryptic presence in southern … 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
Lesser Swine’s Cress (Lepidium didymum)
Lesser Swine’s Cress (Lepidium didymum), a South American member of the mustard family introduced to Europe by early colonial transfers, and from there to Australia … 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
Common Ice-plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum)
Common Ice-plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum), a dew-spangled exotic relative of Australia’s friendly native pigfaces. The name ‘Ice-plant’ refers to the prominent bladder cells which store water … Read the full post
Hairy Willow-herb (Epilobium hirtigerum)
Hairy Willow-herb (Epilobium hirtigerum), an ephemeral Australian native plant whose lifeways flit between areas of disturbance. Hairy Willow-herb is adapted to exploit sites of short-lived … 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
Sea Spurge (Euphorbia paralias)
Sea Spurge (Euphorbia paralias), a Mediterranean spurge introduced to Australian coasts and now actively transforming dune environments around the continent’s southern perimeter. Sea Spurge alters … 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
Sweet Briar (Rosa rubiginosa)
Sweet Briar (Rosa rubiginosa), brought to Australia as grafting stock, a sometimes hedge and a domestic source of rose hip tea. Spread by birds and … 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
Hairy Pink (Petrorhagia dubia)
Hairy Pink (Petrorhagia dubia), one of a pair of Western Mediterranean species of the genus that were introduced to Victoria in contaminated seed. It can … 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
‘Peruvian’ Squill (Scilla peruviana)
‘Peruvian’ Squill (Scilla peruviana), a perennial bulb of the western Mediterranean that has formed adventive, self-sustaining colonies when left to its own devices in southeastern … Read the full post
Thread Iris (Moraea setifolia)
Thread Iris (Moraea setifolia), a minute South African perennial naturalised across dry interior regions of southern Australia. In Australia, the plant was first collected in … Read the full post
Caper Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris)
Caper Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris), another latex-exuding Southern European ornamental selection, now naturalised in riparian woodlands throughout Southern Australia. Caper Spurge combined excellent vertical structure, drought-hardy … Read the full post
Myrtle-leaf Milkwort (Polygala myrtifolia)
Myrtle-leaf Milkwort (Polygala myrtifolia), a South African ornamental shrub and one of several dominant weeds in residential scrub around Port Phillip Bay, and on Mornington … Read the full post
Hoary Cress (Lepidium draba)
Hoary Cress (Lepidium draba), a Eurasian mustard globalised in the 1800s in contaminated seed and ship ballast. The first Australian infestation reportedly occurred at the … Read the full post
Tree Mallow (Malva arborea)
Tree Mallow (Malva arborea), a Mediterranean coastal shrub. Described in 1859 as very common in Australian gardens, the plant offered instant vertical colour; an 1886 … 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