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Banana passionfruit

Banana passionfruit

Forms large masses, growing rapidly and smothering the forest canopy.

Bat-wing passionflower

Bat-wing passionflower

Named after its batwing shaped leaves and flowers that are very similar to the passionfruit flower.  

Blackberry

Blackberry

Can quickly invade pasture, reducing area for grazing and breaking fences that it grows over.

Blue morning glory

Blue morning glory

Pantropical plant naturalised in 1950. Introduced to New Zealand as an attractive garden plant that flowers year round.

Bushy asparagus

Bushy asparagus

A dense scrambler with small pinkish-white flowers (October to March), red berries, long prickly stems, and sharp spiny scales.

Cathedral bells

Cathedral bells

Also called cup-and-saucer vine, the flowers are green and smelly when young, then turn deep purple.

Chilean flame creeper

Chilean flame creeper

A climbing plant with coiling tendrils that allow it to climb up into the tree canopy.

Chinese knotweed

Chinese knotweed

A highly invasive plant that quickly smothers other plants and trees.

Chocolate vine

Chocolate vine

Clusters of brown-purple flowers with a vanilla fragrance from August to October.

Climbing asparagus

Climbing asparagus

A slender, scrambling climber with green, twining stems up to 2m long.

Climbing dock

Climbing dock

Scrambling or low climbing plant with kumara-like woody tubers with yellow flesh. 

Climbing spindle berry

Climbing spindle berry

A deciduous, woody stemmed climber which grows up to 15m into trees. 

Creeping gloxinia

Creeping gloxinia

Native to Mexico, its seeds have wings to help them to be carried along in winds.

English Ivy

English Ivy

Rampant climber with stout woody stems that will attach to almost anything.

German ivy

German ivy

Scrambling vine  with thin, soft, glossy, hairless leaves that are ivy-shaped.

japanese-honeysuckle

Japanese honeysuckle

A vigorous climber with long, wiry stems that twine clockwise. It can grow up to 15m a year.

Jasmine

Jasmine

Very tolerant and extremely hard to kill, Jasmine can live up to 15 to 20 years in the wild.

Kudzu vine

Kudzu vine

Kudzu is a high climbing, woody vine which can grow from 10 - 30m high. 

Mexican daisy

Mexican Daisy

A sprawling perennial daisy which grows up to 40 cm tall.

mignonette vine

Mignonette vine

Evergreen, climbing, woody vine with fleshy rhizomes and usually reddish stems.

Mile-a-minute

Mile-a-minute

Originally from South Africa it is aptly named because it can rapidly choke and smother other plants.

Moth plant

Moth plant

Butterflies feeding on moth plant can die from starvation due to feeding parts becoming gummed up.

old man's beard

Old man’s beard

Named after its seed clusters that look similar to an old man’s white woolly beard. 

Smilax

Smilax

Also known as bridal creeper as it has been widely used for bridal bouquets.

Wild kiwifruit

Wild kiwifruit

An unfortunate by-product of commercially grown and exported kiwifruit. 

Agapanthus

Agapanthus

Attractive blue or white flowers form umbrella-shaped clusters of small flowers December to February. 

Arum lily

Arum lily

A clump forming lily with large arrow-shaped leaves. Has a white, funnel shaped flower with a yellow spike.

Asiatic knotweed

Asiatic knotweed

Listed as one of the world’s worst invasive species by the World Conservation Union.

Bears breeches

Bears breeches

Has large, glossy dark green leaves and white / purple tubular flowers on the stem of a spike. 

Beggars tick

Produces barbed seed which can be easily transported on clothing or by animals.

Canna lily

Canna lily

Pinkish-red to reddish-yellow and occasionally yellow or orange-red flowers.

Chilean rhubarb

Chilean rhubarb

A giant rhubarb-like plant up to 2m. Both the leaves and leaf stalks are covered in rubbery red prickles.

Elephant’s ear

Elephant’s ear

Large leaves have the appearance of an Elephant’s Ear, hence the name.

Field horsetail

Field horsetail

Considered a 'living fossil' as the species has been around for over 300 million years

Formosa lily

Formosa lily

A large lily with a simple stem up to 1m tall. Spreads quickly as seed is wind dispersed. 

Giant knotweed

Giant knotweed

Can grow up to 4m with an extensive root system that can be up to 3m deep and up to 7m across.

Giant reed

Giant reed

Massive clump-forming perennial with thin leaves that tend to droop at the edges of clumps.

Green goddess lily

Green goddess lily

A clump-forming, evergreen plant with large glossy, leathery, dark green, arrow shaped leaves.

Himalayan balsam

Himalayan balsam

Competes with native species for light, space and pollinators and can dominate vegetation on stream banks.

Male fern

Male fern

A fern with fronds up to 1.5m in length and are dark green above and pale green below.

Mist flower

Mistflower

A many-stemmed herb that has clusters of small white flowers from August to January.

Montbretia

Montbretia

Orange or crimson flowers appear from January to February on stems that give it zig-zag shaped appearance.

Noogoora bur

Noogoora bur

Forms clusters of burs that can stick to animal fur and its seeds are toxic to stock.

Palm grass

Palm grass

Originally from India. Dense, hanging palm-like leaves are pleated and taper to a point.

Pampas

Pampas

Large-clump forming grass up to 4 metres tall with erect fluffy, white pinkish or purplish flowerheads.

Purple nutsedge

Purple nutsedge

Named due to its tubers that look like nuts. It is considered an invasive species in over 90 countries. 

Rough horsetail

Rough horsetail

Primarily found in damp habitats and is considered a "living fossil" species. 

Royal fern

Royal fern

Royal fern is deciduous (dies back in winter) and has large fronds growing up to 3m long.

thistle

Thistles

Thistles invade large areas of pasture, unpalatable to stock and reduce pasture productivity.

Tuber Ladder Fern

Tuber ladder fern

It is the only fern with tubers, which are round, potato-like up to 2cm.

Variegated thistle

Variegated thistle

Large purple flowers (November to January) are surrounded by spines.

Wild ginger

Wild ginger

Introduced as an ornamental plant due to its lush foliage and pleasant smelling flowers.

African feather grass

African feather grass

Identified by the straw yellow flowers with a purplish tinge that are present from December to April.

Chilean needle grass

Chilean needle grass

The sharp, needle-like tips of the seeds can penetrate skin and their backward-pointing bristles make them hard to remove.

Himalayan fairy grass

Himalayan fairy grass

Brought to New Zealand as an ornamental garden plant. Gardeners loved it for its ever-present flowers year round and hardiness.

Marram grass

Marram grass

Initially introduced for dune stabilisation but instead causes large, steep dunes. 

Mexican feather grass

Mexican feather grass

An extremely tough, thin densely tufted, perennial tussock grass that grows up to 70cm tall.

Nassella tussock

Nassella tussock

Native to South America and was accidentally introduced to NZ in the late 1800’s.

Reed sweet grass

Reed sweet grass

Erect grass which grow aggressively to form large dense mats, usually found in nutrient-rich water and wet ground.

Saltwater paspalum

Saltwater paspalum

Originally from the Americas it was introduced to New Zealand primarily as a turf grass for coastal golf courses. 

Spartina

Spartina

A clumping grass that is found in inter-tidal zones of coastlands and wetlands.

Stout Bamboo Grass

Stout bamboo grass

A tufted perennial grass with whorled branches that are bamboo-like in appearance.

African club moss

African club moss

A small, fern groundcover with long, fine roots and creeping, slender, irregularly 'stems'.

Aluminium plant

Aluminium plant

Grows rapidly to cover large areas of ground with a thick mat of hairy, silvery-grey patched leaves. 

Cape ivy

Cape ivy

A scrambling perennial, forming a dense tangled shrub, with wiry woody stems.

Heather

Heather

Bushy evergreen tough shrub with woody, wiry stems and pink to pale purple flowers.

Horse nettle

Horse nettle

Horse nettle is extremely invasive and hard to kill and all parts of the plant are poisonous.

Houttuynia

Houttuynia

Heart shaped leaves that are variegated cream, green, bronze, and scarlet.

Mouse ear hawkweed

Mouse ear hawkweed

Pale lemon-yellow flower heads (October to February) with leaves which lie flat to the ground.

Periwinkle

Periwinkle

Scrambling with green trailing stems and blue-violet flowers appear from January to December.

Plectranthus

Plectranthus

The plant stems covered in purple hairs and it has white flowers with purple dots inside  (December to August)

Ragwort

Ragwort

Ragwort has bright yellow daisy-like flowers in spring and also has an unpleasant smell when crushed.

Snow poppy

Snow poppy

A low growing, ground cover. Has leaves with scalloped edges that are leathery to the touch.

Spiny emex

Spiny emex

This plant is a major pest in parts of Australia where it is commonly called ‘doublegee’. 

Tradescantia

Tradescantia

Originally from south-east Brazil and Argentina, it will grow almost anywhere, making it very invasive.

Apple of Sodom

Apple of Sodom

A poisonous shrub that grazing stock will avoid, therefore reducing available grazing land.

Boneseed

Boneseed

Originally from South Africa Boneseed is named due to the white, bone-like appearance of its seeds.

Buddleia

Buddleia

Buddleia often forms in river beds which can alter water flow, causing silt build-up and flooding.

Cestrum species

Cestrum species

Forms dense mats that shade out native species and is extremely toxic to farm animals.

Chinese privet

Chinese privet

Produces a large number of seeds that are spread by birds to form dense stands which prevent native species from establishing.

Chinese fan / windmill palm

Chinese windmill palm

A single straight trunk with leaves that are fan-shaped and divided into narrow leaflets.

Coastal banksia

Coastal banksia

A fast growing tree, rapidly maturing and producing a lot of seeds that are released in late summer.

Coast tea tree

Coast tea tree

Waves flush sand from underneath the tree roots causing erosion and creating steep dune slopes.

Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster

Has masses of shining red or orange berries and matures very quickly to form dense stands.

Crack willow

Crack willow

Shoots snap with an audible crack, hence the name ‘crack’ willow. 

Darwin’s barberry

Darwin’s barberry

Named after Charles Darwin – who discovered it in South America in 1835. It was brought to New Zealand for hedging. 

Elaeagnus

Elaeagnus

Originally introduced as a hedge to contain stock and provide a wind break. 

False Acacia

False Acacia

Can reach 30m in height. It's flowers have a fragrant smell and hang in droopy clusters.

Firethorn

Firethorn

Evergreen, spiny shrub which spreads to form dense thickets and produces orange berries.

gorse

Gorse

Large, very prickly, woody, evergreen shrub growing up to 2-4m.

Grey willow

Grey willow

A deciduous shrub or small tree, spreading or thicket forming with suckering roots and smooth bark.

Italian buckthorn

Italian buckthorn

Popular as a hedging plant due to its hardy nature and exceptionally fast growth rate.

Japanese spindle tree

Japanese spindle tree

Produces many seeds that are well dispersed by birds and possibly possums.

Japanese walnut

Japanese walnut

A wide spreading deciduous hardwood tree found throughout the Bay of Plenty.

Kauri dieback disease

Kauri dieback disease

Kauri dieback disease is both incurable and fatal in kauri trees - potentially threatening the existence of whole kauri forests.

Lantana

Lantana

Considered one of the world’s worst invasive weeds, Lantana seeds can be deadly if eaten.

Monkey apple

Monkey apple

An evergreen tree with smooth bark and whitish flowers which are followed by bunches of berry-like fruit.

Phoenix palm

Phoenix palm

The Phoenix palm can grow up to 18m tall with sharp spines and originates from the Canary Islands.

Prickly pear cactus

Prickly pear cactus

Leaves are big paddle-like structures, fleshy and heavy with spikes dotted over them. 

Rice paper plant

Rice paper plant

Gets its name from the widespread (incorrect) belief that the plant is used to make rice paper.

Strawberry dogwood

Strawberry dogwood

Grows rapidly and produces a large number of seeds, which birds eat and disperse widely.

Sydney golden wattle

Sydney golden wattle

Native to Australia where, even in its native habitat, it is considered a pest of some coastal areas.

Taiwan cherry

Taiwan cherry

The Taiwan cherry crowds out neighbouring plants and shrubs and dominates a habitat.

Tree of Heaven

Tree of Heaven

All parts of the tree have a strong smell similar to peanuts or cashew nuts.

Tree privet

Tree privet

Tree Privet is found in coastal and lowland forests, shrubland, cliffs and coastline.

Tutsan

Tutsan

Has pale yellow flowers in bunches at the end of each branch.

Velvet groundsel

Velvet groundsel

Large woody shrub with the stems often being reddish, and coated with hairs.

White edged nightshade

White edged nightshade

A member of the nightshade family, dust from the plant can cause respiratory irritation.

Wilding conifers

Wilding conifers

A conifer tree bears cones and has needle-like or scale-like leaves. 

Woolly nightshade

Woolly nightshade

Also known as tobacco weed or kerosene plant because of its strong kerosene-like smell.