EU HIT LIST MY CABBAGE

The EU have seen fit to ban some more [14] "invasive" plants and now make it an offence to keep, cultivate, breed, transport, sell, or exchange them. Also it's an offence to release them, intentionally or
On the top of the list is the American Skunk Cabbage [Lysichiton americanus] which I have in my garden wildlife pond.



The other naughty plants banned are:

Carolina Watershield [Cabomba caroliniana]
Curly Waterweed [Lagarosiphon major]
Floating Pennywort [Hydrocotyle ranunculoides]
Parrot's Feather Myriophyllum aquaticum]
Water Hyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes]
Water Primrose [Ludwigia garandiflora & Ludwigia peploides]

Plants not grown in great numbers in the UK

Tree Groundsel [Baccharis halimfolia]
Persian Hogweed [Heracileum persicum]
Sosnowskyi's hogweed [Heracieum sosnowskyi]

Warmer climate plants not grown in the UK.

Parthenium weed [Parthenium hysterophorus]
Mile-a-minute weed [Persicaria perfoliata/Polyonum perfoliatum]
Kudzu vine [Peuraria montana var. lobata]

They have been having "trouble" with the American Skunk Cabbage at around 7 sites in the New Forest but, to me, that's not the plant's fault but down to loose ecology management of the area. It's cost around £10,000 so far to carry out eradication plans in the New Forest but again there would have been no need to do so had they had proper plant management in the New Forest. A lot of the Big House estates and National Trust Gardens have the American Skunk Cabbage which was introduced to the UK in 1901 and they have been kept in the right place without a problem. My Skunk Cabbage is something that is a great feature and insect attractor in the pond and so far it has never tried to escape by jumping over the fences, nor has it propagated beyond the large crate that it is in on a ledge in the pond. So as far as the EU is concerned they can stay out of my garden

 

Agreed, Anthony, but that's only because the expense and impossibility of tracking them all down. Here's a statement on it all

"A new regulation from the EU, to be agreed on 4 December could place stringent controls on 37 non-native invasive species including 14 plants from 1 January 2016.


Andrew Gill

These species have been identified as being "of Union concern", meaning they have been assessed as posing such a high risk of invasion within one or more EU member states, that a co-ordinated, Europe-wide response is needed to limit their spread.

It will therefore become an offence in the UK to keep, cultivate, breed, transport, sell or exchange these species, or release them, intentionally or unintentionally, into the environment.

Eight of the soon-to-be banned species are garden plants including American skunk-cabbage, curly waterweed and water hyacinth.

Occurrences of American skunk-cabbage in the wild have increased by 84 per cent in 15 years while occurrences of curly waterweed in the wild have increased by 41 per cent in 15 years.

Plantlife welcomed the new regulations as a mechanism to prevent future invasive species becoming established in the wild.

UK governments will have 18 months to put effective management measures in place to control the newly listed species and limit their spread accordingly, although a full two years is allowed to sell off existing trade stocks.

If any of these species are already growing in a garden, there will be no attempt to remove them and it will not be illegal to grow them, so long as garden owners act responsibly and don’t encourage the plants to spread or escape.

However, sites in the wild where these invasive species are causing problems may have to be restored and costs could be recovered in accordance with the ‘polluter pays’ principle, meaning that whoever caused them to spread or be released into the wild may have to foot the bill for subsequent control.

Plant species included:

• American skunk-cabbage Lysichiton americanus
• Curly waterweed Lagarosiphon major
• Carolina water-shield Cabomba caroliniana
• Water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes
• Tree groundsel Baccharis halimifolia
• Persian hogweed Heracleum persicum
• Sosnowskyi's hogweed Heracleum sosnowskyi
• Parthenium weed Parthenium hysterophorus
• Mile-a-minute weed Persicaria perfoliata / Polygonum perfoliatum
• Kudzu vine Pueraria montana var. lobata
• Already banned:
• water primrose Ludwigia grandiflora and Ludwigia peploides, floating pennywort Hydrocotyle ranunculoides, parrot's feather Myriophyllum aquaticum."

 

I've had that Skunk Cabbage by the pond now for over 20 years and I've never smelt it at all

 

Skunk Cabbage Owners of the UK Unite and Vote Out!