UNWANTED SPECIES HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED FROM OTHER COUNTRIES

We tend to forget that taking plants from one country to another can rarely be done with impunity. Both Northern Ireland and other countries have accidentally acquired unwelcome visitors which arrived through their exchange of material. The list below gives examples of some foreign plants introduced to Northern Ireland which have escaped into the wild and can cause severe problems. Click on the botanical name to view species pages.

Some examples:

BOTANICAL NAME COMMON NAME Acaena ovalifolia Pirri-pirri burr Acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore Aegopodium podagraria Ground elder Epilobium brunnescens New Zealand willowherb Fallopia japonica Japanese knotweed Heracleum mantegazzianum Giant hogweed Hippophaë rhamnoides Sea buckthorn Hydrocotyle ranunculoides Floating pennywort Impatiens glandulifera Himalayan balsam Prunus laurocerasus Cherry-laurel Rhododendron ponticum Rhododendron Non-botanical species Artioposthia triangulata New Zealand flatworm

© National Museums Northern Ireland, 2004