Blue echium

Echium vulgare

A deep-rooted biennial up to 1m high. The leaves and stems are covered with coarse, white hairs. The stem leaves are small and the basal rosette leaves are narrow without prominent lateral veins. Blue or purple flowers appear from October to April. Flowers are spike-like. This plant is poisonous and invades cultivated land, pastures and roadsides.


Blue passion flower

Passiflora caerulea (Passifloraceae)

A glabrous, perennial, tendril climber with cylindrical or slightly angular stems, growing to 5m or higher. The leaves are usually deeply five- to seven-lobed and with sickle-shaped stipules. The flowers are green turning yellow or orange and appearing from August-March. Produces yellow or orange, ovoid berries which are reddish inside. This plant invades forest margins, bush clumps, roadsides and river banks.


Blue-leaf cactus

Opuntia robusta

Blue-leaf cactus is an upright and succulent shrub growing 1-4 m tall with much-branched stems consisting of a series of flattened fleshy segments. It most commonly infests pastures, granite outcrops and open woodlands. 


Bluebell creeper

Billardiera heterophylla

A perennial evergreen climber that twines around other trees and structures. It grows 2-3m high. It has dark green glossy hairless leaves. The flowers are bright blue with five spreading petals.


Boxing glove cactus

Cylindropuntia fulgida

Distinguished by presence of distorted segments; corrugated surface of segments; presence of small bristles (glochids) in clusters in depressions (areoles) on segments, these glochids readily attach to skin and are difficult to remove, areoles also have white to brownish spines, thorns are at the base of areoles and glochids at the tops; absence of flowers and therefore fruit.


Bramble

Rubus flagellaris

Bramble is a perennial subshrub species with long, low-growing stems and thorns about 1.5mm long. It can exist as a woody vine or low-growing shrub. It grows in a host of habitats, ranging from dry savannah to deciduous forests. It also produces a dark purple drupe that, when fully ripened, has a tart-sweet flavour.


Brazilian guava

Psidium guineense (Myrtaceae)

Evergreen shrub or small tree up to 8m high with hairy branchlets. Light green, thick leaves that are hairy below. White flowers in groups of 1-3 from October to December. Green fruit which turns pale yellow and bitter tasting.


Brazilian pepper tree

Schinus terebinthifolius (Anacardiaceae)

An evergreen shrub or tree growing up to 6m high with wide-spreading, horizontal branches. The dark green leaves have prominent, pale veins above and are paler and smoother below, while the leaflets are more round. Small, creamy-white flowers appear from September to March. Male and female flowers develop on separate trees. Fruits are bright red, slightly fleshy, one-seeded spherical drupes and are poisonous. The sap is a skin irritant and affects the respiratory tract


Brazilian verbina

Verbena brasiliensis

Brazilian verbina is an annual or short-lived perennial herb with erect, hispid, quadrangular stems of 1-2.5 metres in height. It has the ability to displace indigenous vegetation through most of its non-native range and is considered invasive. It can be found both in wetland/riparian areas as well as in drier, upland habitat.


Bugweed

Solanum mauritianum (Solanaceae)

A shrub or small tree up to 4m high covered with whitish-felty hairs. Dull green leaves that are velvety above and white-felty beneath which emit a strong smell when bruised. Purple flowers in compact, terminal clusters on densely felty stalks up to 10cm long all year round. Spherical berries which start off green and turn yellow, in compact terminal clusters. Hairy leaves and stems are a respiratory tract and skin irritant. Unripe fruits are poisonous.