European blackberry

Rubus fruticosus

Thorny shrub to 2m high with strongly arching stems that root at the growing point of the shoot. Green leaves, sometimes grey-downy beneath. White or pink flowers with petals that are much longer than the sepals, appearing from September to January. The flowerheads are prickly. The edible fruits are red turning black.


European elder

Sambucus nigra

The European elder is a deciduous shrub or small tree reaching 6m tall. Tiny, white, scented flowers appear in a flat-topped cluster in late spring to summer.  The flowers are hermaphroditic (have both male and female parts).


European gorse

Ulex europaeus (Fabaceae)

Much branched, densely spiny shrub growing up to 1,5m high with hairy, striated young branches and green spines which are deeply furrowed, rigid and sharp pointed. The dark green leaves are distinctly jagged and pointy. It produces bright yellow, fragrant flowers in spring, followed by dark brown or black, hairy pods.


False Aralia

Schefflera elegantissima

False Aralia is a sparsely-branched, erect shrub to 3m or more, with leaves to 30cm in length, composed of radiating, narrow, toothed, dark bronze-green leaflets, becoming broader on adult plants. Leaf colour is coppery red at first, but changes to very deep green - in fact almost black. The central stem and leaf-stalks are mottled with creamy white.


False lebbeck

Albizia procera (Fabaceae)

 
Spreading tree to 15m high with smooth bark that doesn't have a peeling appearance with bipinnate green leaves. Whitish or yellow flowers in terminal panicles appear from November to March. Light to dark brown, shiny, rattling pods with raised bumps. Poisonous and invades river banks and subtropical coastal bush.


Famine Weed

Parthenium hysterophorus (Asteraceae)

Annual herb growing up to 1,5m high with an erect, longitudinally grooved, hairy stem and deep tap root. It has pale green, hairy leaves and small white flowers in compact heads, appearing from September to May. The whole plant is a skin and respiratory irritant. It invades roadsides, rail sides, water courses, cultivated fields and overgrazed land.
To view famine weed map of the world click the following link: http://www.invasives.org.za/resources/downloadable-resources/finish/70-famine-weed-parthenium-hysterophorus/974-famine-weed-map-of-the-world.html


Feathertop

Pennisetum villosum (Poaceae)

A sparsely branching, perennial grass which is open and creeping with feathery, spike-like inflorescences. The bristles are long and detach with the spikelets. Leaves are up to 40cm long and are not rigid or ending with sharp points. Inflorescence 40-70mm long and is white or light brown. This grass invades roadsides and disturbed sites and has a preference for colder areas.


Field Bindweed

Convolvulus arvensis

Slender, twining herbaceous perennial with stems up to 3m long. Bright green leaves with arrow-shaped bases. Pale pink or white flowers, sometimes with red stripes, usually solitary on long stalks, from October to March. Brown capsules bearing four seeds.Invades : Roadsides, waste areas, agricultural crop lands, disturbed grasslands


Forest inkberry

Phytolacca octandra

This is an erect, short-lived perennial (living more than 1 growing season) herb with woody base, growing to 2m tall. Stems are green with a reddish tinge, smooth and hairless. Often found in moist areas but may be found in any disturbed area where birds have dropped the seed.


Formosa firethorn

Pyracantha koidzumii

The Formosa firethorn is an evergreen shrub with spiny branches and glossy green leaves. White flowers appear in spring, followed by bright red berries. It can form dense thickets, which compete with indigenous vegetation and impede the movement of animals and people.