The following invasive alien plant species reproduce and spread quickly, forming dense populations in natural habitats, and replacing local indigenous vegetation. Some are toxic to people and livestock.
• Cathedral bells
(Bryophyllum pinnatum)
Cathedral bells is a weed that infests gardens, parks, roadsides, railway lines, waste areas, coastal environs, stream banks, open woodland, forests, and forest margins.
It usually grows 60cm to 120cm tall, and has drooping bell-shaped flowers, greenish-yellow to pinkish-red in colour. It can form dense stands in a natural habitat, replacing native species and preventing their regeneration.
Invasive status: NEMBA Category 1b; a problem in KwaZulu-Natal.
• Chandelier plant
(Bryophyllum delagoense [Crassulaceae])
This erect, hairless, perennial succulent grows up to 1,2m high. It has grey-green mottled leaves, often with darker green to reddish spots. Its flowers are pale orange…