Alien Plants

Lilium formosanum
Lily family (Lilacea)
St Joseph lily, Trumpet lily
IsiZulu: intebe

DESCRIPTION
A bulbous herb up to 2.5 m high. Stems are purplish-brown towards the base usually rough and hairy. Leaves are shiny, dark green and scattered along the stem. Leaves are linear to narrowly oblong in shape up to 10 mm wide and 200 mm long. Fragrant narrowly funnel shaped flowers are white, flushed with reddish-purple outside (rarely pure white), white inside and up to 200 mm long. Fruits are in capsules up to 90 mm long.

FLOWERS
January to March

ORIGIN
Asia

REASON FOR INTRODUCTION
For ornamental use

WHERE FOUND/PROBLEMS CAUSED
Throughout KwaZulu-Natal it is particularly conspicuous along road reserves. However any disturbed moist site is susceptible to invasion by the plant. Grows and spreads rapidly, replacing indigenous plant communities and invading natural grasslands.

DID YOU KNOW
Formosa lily was commonly grown as a garden plant but has escaped and like many other exotic ornamentals has become a serious and invasive weed.

DESCRIPTION
Robust herbs up to 2 m high with long lance-shaped leaves that sheath the stem. Broad, tapering green leaves that are downy on the underside. Flowers in spikes up to 350 mm long with each flower having a slender tube. Flower colour dependant upon individual species. Hedychium coccineum (Red ginger lily) possesses red flowers and pink stamens. H. garderianum  has yellow flowers and red stamens. H. coronarium (White ginger lily) has white flowers that may be yellow at the base. H. flavescens (Yellow ginger lily) has yellow flowers that are often reddish-yellow at the base. Fruits are capsules.

FLOWERS
January to April

ORIGIN
Asia

REASON FOR INTRODUCTION
For ornamental purposes

WHERE FOUND/PROBLEMS CAUSED
Found in moist, shaded sites throughout KwaZulu-Natal with reported infestations in forests and plantations.

DID YOU KNOW
Rhizomes of Hedychium species are widely available through the Internet!

CONTROL
Difficult: Plants need to be dug up and the rhizomes (root systems) removed in their entirety.

Campuloclinium macrocephalum
Daisy family (Asteraceae)
Afrikaans: Pom-pom bossie

DESCRIPTION
Erect perennial herb up to 1.3 m high. Stems green to purple covered with rough bristly hairs. Dies back annually to a root crown that ends in thick tuber-like perennial roots. Leaves are light green with serrated margins and are up to 80 mm in length and 20 mm in width. Flowers are pink and are produced in dense clusters at the end of the aerial stems. Each flower head consists of hundreds of tiny, star-shaped florets surrounded by purple bracts. A mature floret can produce a single seeded dry fruit that possess a tuft of hair enabling wind dispersal.

FLOWERS
December to March

ORIGIN
South America

REASON  FOR INTRODUCTION
For ornamental use.

WHERE FOUND/PROBLEMS CAUSED
Rapidly becoming the most serious threat to grasslands in South Africa. Initially it establishes itself in disturbed sites such as roadsides, but then invades natural grasslands, open savanna and wetlands. This weed displaces indigenous species, reducing carrying capacity and biodiversity

DID YOU KNOW
Suspected of being able to chemically inhibit the growth of other plants (allelopathy). Even dead plant material can inhibit, therefore where there are small mini infestations of Pompom weed it is advisable to remove all cut stems and destroy by burning.

NB. Report all sightings of this “red alert” weed to the authorities.

*All the above information has been obtained from the WESSA booklet entitled “Invasive Alien Plants in KwaZulu Natal Management and Control” and can be purchased at Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve.*