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Invasive terrestrial plants

Last updated on October 20, 2021

Invasive terrestrial plants are plants from one part of the world that are transported, or migrate due to climate change, beyond their natural range and become established in a new area where they can cause potential harm to native ecosystems.

Government has evaluated more than 320 terrestrial and aquatic plant species to determine likelihood of occurrence, establishment and spread as well as to determine which pose the greatest threat. Currently 45 plant species are candidates for early detection and rapid response activities, and an additional 109 species are recommended for other levels of management.

Invasive terrestrial plants
Common Name Letter Map Code EDRR Genus Code Species Code Latin Name Flower Colour
African rue / harmal A AR Y PEGA HAR Peganum harmala White
Annual hawksbeard A HB N CREP TEC Crepis tectorum Yellow
Annual sow thistle (PDF) A AS N SONC OLE Sonchus oleraceus Yellow
Baby's breath B BY N GYPS PAN Gypsophila paniculata White
Bachelor's button B BB N CENT CYA Centaurea cyanus Purple
Barnyard grass B BA N ECHI CRU Echinochloa crusgalli No flower
Bighead knapweed (PDF) B KB N CENT MAC Centaurea macrocephala Yellow
Bigleaf periwinkle / large periwinkle B BP N VINC MAJ Vinca major Purple
Black henbane (PDF) B BH Y HYOS NIG Hyoscyamus niger Yellow
Black knapweed (PDF) B BL N CENT NIG Centaurea nigra Purple
Black locust B RB N ROBI PSE Robinia pseudoacacia White
Bladder campion B BC N SILE VUL Silene vulgaris White
Blueweed (PDF) B BW N ECHI VUL Echium vulgare Blue
Bog bulrush / ricefield bulrush (PDF) B RI Y SCHO MUC Schoenoplectus mucronatus Reddish-brown
Bohemian knotweed B BO N FALL BOH Fallopia x bohemicum Whitish
Bristly locust / rose acacia B RA N ROBI HIS Robinia hispida Pink
Brown knapweed B BK N CENT JAC Centaurea jacea Pink/Purple
Bull thistle (PDF) B BT N CIRS VUL Cirsium vulgare Pink/Purple
Bur chervil B CB N ANTH CAU Anthriscus caucalis White
Burdock species B BU N ARCT SPP Arctium spp Purple
Butterfly bush B BD N BUDD DAV Buddleja davidii Purple
Camel thorn C AM Y ALHA MAU Alhagi maurorum Pinkish-brown
Canada thistle (PDF) C CT N CIRS ARV Cirsium arvense Pink/Purple

A

African rue / harmal
Annual hawksbeard
Annual sow thistle (PDF)

B

Baby's breath
Bachelor's button
Barnyard grass
Bighead knapweed (PDF, 351KB)
Bigleaf periwinkle / large periwinkle
Black henbane (PDF, 358KB)
Black knapweed (PDF)
Black locust
Bladder campion
Blueweed (PDF, 134KB)
Bog bulrush / ricefield bulrush (PDF)
Bohemian knotweed
Bristly locust / rose acacia
Brown knapweed
Bull thistle (PDF)
Bur chervil
Burdock species
Butterfly bush

C

Camel thorn
Canada thistle (PDF)
Caraway
Carpet burweed
Cheatgrass / downy brome
Cherry laurel
Chicory (PDF)
Chilean tarweed
Clary sage
Coltsfoot
Common bugloss
Common comfrey
Common crupina (PDF)
Common periwinkle
Common reed
Common tansy (PDF, 149KB)
Creeping buttercup (PDF)
Cudweed
Curled dock (PDF)
Cutleaf blackberry
Cypress spurge

D

Dalmatian toadflax (PDF, 41KB)
Dame's rocket Daphne / spurge laurel
Death cap mushroom (PDF, 595KB)
Diffuse knapweed (PDF, 174KB)
Dodder
Dyer's woad

E

Eggleaf spurge
English holly
English ivy
European common reed
Eyebright

F

False brome (PDF, 1.1MB)
Field bindweed (PDF)
Field scabious (PDF, 136KB)
Flat pea/flat peavine
French broom

G

Garden yellow loosestrife
Garlic mustard (PDF, 363KB)
Giant hogweed
Giant knotweed
Giant mannagrass / reed sweetgrass
Giant reed / giant cane
Goat's rue / French lilac
Gorse (PDF, 143KB)
Goutweed / bishop's weed
Greater celandine
Greater knapweed
Green foxtail / green bristlegrass (PDF)
Groundsel

H

Hairy cat's-ear
Hawkweed species
Hawkweed, common
Hawkweed, European
Hawkweed, king devil
Hawkweed, meadow
Hawkweed, mouse ear (PDF)
Hawkweed, polar
Hawkweed, queen devil
Hawkweed, smooth
Hawkweed, spotted
Hawkweed, tall
Hawkweed, wall
Hawkweed, whiplash
Hawkweed, yellow
Hawkweed, yellow devil
Hedge false bindweed
Hedgehog dogtail
Herb robert
Himalayan blackberry
Himalayan knotweed
Hoary alyssum (PDF, 132KB)
Hoary cress (PDF, 159KB)
Hound's tongue (PDF, 118KB)

I

Iberian starthistle
Italian plumeless thistle

J

Japanese knotweed
Johnsongrass
Jointed goatgrass (PDF)

K

Kochia (PDF)
Kudzu (PDF)


L

Lady's-thumb (PDF)
Large yellow loosestrife / spotted loosest
Leafy spurge (PDF)
Lesser celandine/fig buttercup
Longspine sandbur

M

Marsh plume thistle / marsh thistle (PDF)
Meadow buttercup
Meadow clary (PDF)

N

Night-flowering catchfly (PDF)
Nightshade
Nodding thistle (PDF)
North Africa grass (PDF)

O

Old man's beard / traveller's joy
Orange hawkweed
Oxeye daisy (PDF)

P

Perennial pepperweed (PDF)
Perennial sow thistle (PDF)
Plumeless thistle (PDF)
Poison hemlock (PDF)
Policeman's helmet / himalayan balsam
Portugese laurel
Portugese broom
Pricky comfrey
Puncturevine
Purple deadnettle
Purple loosestrife (PDF)
Purple nutsedge (PDF)
Purple starthistle

Q

Queen Anne's lace / wild carrot

R

Red bartsia
Redroot amaranth / rough pigweed (PDF)
Rush skeletonweed (PDF)
Russian knapweed
Russian olive
Russian thistle (PDF)

S

Saltcedar / tamarisk
Saltover / halogeton
Scentless chamomile
Scotch broom
Scotch thistle (PDF)
Sheep sorrel (PDF)
Shepherd's-purse (PDF)
Shiny geranium (PDF)
Short-fringed knapweed
Siberian elm
Silverleaf nightshade
Slender meadow foxtail
Smooth cat's ear
Sowthistle species
Spanish bluebells
Spanish broom
Spotted knapweed (PDF)
Spring millet grass
Spurge flax
Squarrose knapweed (PDF)
St. John's wort (PDF)
Sulphur cinquefoil
Sweet fennel
Syrian bean-caper

T

Tansy ragwort (PDF)
Tartary buckwheat (PDF)
Teasel
Texas blueweed
Tree of heaven

V

Velvet leaf (PDF)

W

Wand loosestrife
Western goat's-beard
White cockle (PDF)
Wild buckwheat
Wild chervil (PDF)
Wild four o'clock
Wild mustard (PDF)
Wild oats (PDF)
Winged thistle / slender-flowered thistle
Wood sage
Wormwood

Y

Yellow archangel
Yellow nutsedge (PDF)
Yellow starthistle (PDF)
Yellow / common toadflax (PDF)