A spectacular thug is out of control

Rhododendron ponticum, when it runs wild, blocks out the sun, smothers other plants, is toxic to wildlife and can spread sudden oak death. It ’s also extremely difficult to eradicateRhododendrons are flowering now in a magnificent springtime spectacle – but they are thugs, invading some of our finest and most precious countryside with catastrophic impacts on wild plants and animals.Rhododendron ponticum was first brought to Britain, probably from Spain or Portugal, around 1763 for botanical gardens and used on big estates as cover for game birds. But the shrub has spread out of control with huge damage to many native woodlands, heaths and other wild places like the Snowdonia national park. The plant now covers 98,700 hectares, roughly 3.3 per cent of Britain ’s total woodland, a report by theForestry Commission found, and Scotland has been hit particularly hard, where it covers 53,000 hectares.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Invasive species Trees and forests Conservation Environment Science Wildlife Source Type: news