New invasive alien plant (IAP) in our area.

When one of us recently came across a brightly coloured flowering herb in our Admiralty protected area we were distressed to find that this is regarded as an "emerging weed" and early preventative measures might still get this plant under control. This plant is Ruellia simplex. Fortunately we have found this small population early and it should easily be eradicated.

Ruellia simplex

Generally we try to focus on the many indigenous special flowering plants of this area, but with IAPs so obvious at the moment it is probably a good time to mention some of the worst. Particularly obvious at this time of year is Campuloclinum macrocephalum or pompom weed. There are major infestations in Gauteng province and it is possible seeds from these populations are brought down by vehicles as it seems most of our current infestations are along the roadsides. The other very obvious invader is Formosa Lily, Lilium formosanum and their white trumpet-shaped flowers are also to be found along the roadsides.

A useful source of information on Invasive Alien Plants is SAPIA News.