Category 1: Invader plants must be removed & destroyed immediately
Category 2: Invader plants may be grown under controlled conditions only
Category 3: Invader plants may no longer be planted
Kind of plant (Botanical name) |
Common Name |
Category |
| Acacia baileyana | Bailey’s wattle | 3 |
| Acacia cyclops | Rooikrans | 2 |
| Acacia dealbata | Silver wattle | Category 1 plant in Western Cape Category 2 plant in the rest of South Africa |
| Acacia decurrens | Green wattle | 2 |
| Acacia elata | Pepper tree wattle | 3 |
| Acacia implexa | Screw – pod wattle | 1 |
| Acacia longifolia | Long – leaved wattle | 1 |
| Acacia mearnsii | Black wattle | 2 |
| Acacia melanoxylon | Australian blackwood | 2 |
| Acacia paradoxa | Kangaroo wattle | 1 |
| Acacia podalyriifolia | Pearl acacia | 3 |
| Acacia pycnantha | Golden wattle | 1 |
| Acacia saligna | Port Jackson willow | 2 |
| Achyranthes aspera | Burweed | 1 |
| Agave sisalana | Sisal hemp, Sisal | 2 |
| Ageratina adenophora | Crofton weed | 1 |
| Ageratina riparia | Mistflower | 1 |
| Ageratum conyzoides | Invading ageratum | 1 |
| Ageratum houstonianum | Mexican ageratum | 1 |
| Ailanthus altissima | Tree-of-heaven | 3 |
| Albizia lebbeck | Lebbeck tree | 1 |
| Albizia procera | False lebbeck | 1 |
| Alhagi maurorum | Camel thorn bush | 1 |
| Anredera cordifolia | Madeira vine, Brida wreath | 1 |
| Araujia sericifera | Moth catcher | 1 |
| Ardisia crenata | Coralberry tree, Coral bush | Category 1 plant only in Northern Province, Kwa Zulu-Natal & Mpumalanga |
| Argemone mexicana | Yellow – flowered Mexican poppy | 1 |
| Argemone ochroleuca | White – flowered Mexican poppy | 1 |
| Arundo donax | Giant reed, Spanish reed | 1 |
| Atriplex lindley | Sponge – fruit satltbush | 3 |
| Atriplex nummularia | Old man saltbush | 2 |
| Azolla filiculoides | Red water fern | 1 |
| Bauhinia purpurea | Butterfly orchid tree | 3 |
| Bauhinia variegata | Orchid tree | 3 |
| Bryophyllum delagoense | Chandelier plant | 1 |
| Caesalpinia decapetala | Mauritius thorn | 1 |
| Campuloclinium macrocephalum | Pom pom weed | 1 |
| Canna indica | Indian shot | 1 |
| Cardiospermum grandiflorum | Balloon vine | 1 |
| Casuarina cunninghamiana | Beefwood | 2 |
| Casuarina equisetifolia | Horsetail tree | 2 |
| Cereus jamacaru | Queen of the Night | 1 |
| Cestrum aurantiacum | Yellow or Orange cestrum | 1 |
| Cestrum elegans | Crimson cestrum | 1 |
| Cestrum laevgatum Schtdl | Inkberry | 1 |
| Cestrum parqui | Chilean cestrum | 1 |
| Chromolaena odorata | Triffid weed, Chromolaena | 1 |
| Cinnamomum camphora | Camphor tree | Category 1 plant only in the Northern Province, KwaZulu-Natal & Mpumalanga |
| Cirsium vulgare | Spear thistle, Scotch thistle | 1 |
| Convolvulus arvensis | Field bindweed, Wild morning glory | 1 |
| Cortaderia jubata | Pampas grass | 1 |
| Cortaderia selloana | Pampas grass | 1 |
| Cotoneaster franchetii | Coloneaster | 3 |
| Cotoneaster pannosus | Silver – leaf cotoneaster | 3 |
| Cuscuta campestris | Common dodder | 1 |
| Cuscuta suaveolens | Lucerne dodder | 1 |
| Cytisus monspessulanus | Montpellier broom | 1 |
| Cytisus scoparius | Scotch broom | 1 |
| Datura ferox | Large thorn apple | 1 |
| Datura innoxia | Downy thorn apple | 1 |
| Datura stramonium | Common thorn apple | 1 |
| Echinopsis spachiana | Torch cactus | 1 |
| Echium plantagineum | Patterson’s curse | 1 |
| Echium vulgare | Blue echium | 1 |
| Egeria densa | Dense water weed | 1 |
| Eichhornia crassipes | Water hyacinth | 1 |
| Elodea canadensis | Canadian water weed | 1 |
| Eriobotrya japonica | Loquat | 3 |
| Eucalyptus camaldulensis | Red river gum | 2 |
| Eucalyptus cladocalyx | Sugar gum | 2 |
| Eucalyptus diversicolor | Karri | 2 |
| Eucalyptus grandis | Saligna gum, Rose gum | 2 |
| Eucalyptus lehmannii | Spider gum | Category 1 plant in the Western Cape Category 2 plant in the rest of South Africa |
| Eucalyptus paniculata | Grey ironbark | 2 |
| Eucalyptus sideroxylon | Black ironbark, Red ironbark | 2 |
| Eugenia uniflora | Pitanga, Surinam cherry | Category 1 plant in the Northern Province, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga Category 3 plant in the rest of South Africa |
| Gleditsia triacanthos | Honey locust, Sweet locust | 2 |
| Grevillea robusta | Australian silky oak | 3 |
| Hakea drupacea | Sweet hakea | 1 |
| Hakea gibbosa | Rock hakea | 1 |
| Hakea sericea | Silky hakea | 1 |
| Harrisia martinii | Moon cactus, Harrisia cactus | 1 |
| Hedychium coccineum | Red ginger lily | 1 |
| Hedychium coronarium | White ginger lily | 1 |
| Hedychium flavescens | Yellow ginger lily | 1 |
| Hedychium gardnerianum | Kahili ginger lily | 1 |
| Hypericum perforatum | St.Johns’ wort, Tipton weed | 2 |
| Ipomoea alba | Moonflower | Category 1 plant in the Northern Province, KwaZulu-Natal & Mpumalanga Category 3 plant in the rest of South Africa |
| Ipomoea indica | Morning glory | Category 1 plant in the Northern Province, KwaZulu-Natal & Mpumalanga Category 3 plant in the rest of South Africa |
| Ipomoea purpurea | Morning glory | 3 |
| Jacaranda mimosifolia | Jacaranda | 3 |
| All seed producing species or seed producing hybrids of Lantana that are non-indigenous to Africa | Lantana/Lantana, Tickberry, Cherry Pie | 1 |
| Lepidium | Pepper – cres, Hoary cardaria, White top | 1 |
| Leptospermum laevigatum | Australian myrtle | 1 |
| Leucaena leucocephala | Leucaena | Category 1 plant in the Western Cape Category 2 plant in South Africa, excluding Western Cape |
| Ligustrum japonicum | Japanese wax – leaved privet | 3 |
| Ligustrum lucidum | Chinese wax – leaved privet | 3 |
| Ligustrum ovalifolium | Californian privet | 3 |
| Ligustrum sinense | Chinese privet | 3 |
| Ligustrum vulgare | Common privet | 3 |
| Lilium formosanum | St Joseph’s lily, Trumpet lily, Formosa lily | 3 |
| Litsea glutinosa | Indian laurel | 1 |
| Lyrthrum salicaria | Purple loosestrife | 1 |
| Macfadyena unguis-cati | Cat’s claw creeper | 1 |
| Melia azedarach | “Syringa”, Persian lilac | 3 |
| Metrosideros excelsa | New Zealand christmas tree | 3 |
| Mimosa pigra | Giant sensitive plant | 3 |
| Montanoa hibiscifolia | Tree daisy | 1 |
| Morus alba | White mulberry, Common mulberry | 3 |
| Myoporum tenuifolium | Manatoka | 3 |
| Myriophylum aquaticum | Parrot’s feather | 1 |
| Myriophyllum spicatum | Spiked water – milfoil | 1 |
| Nassella tenuissima | White tussock | 1 |
| Nassella trichotoma | Nassella tussock | 1 |
| Nephrolepis exaltata | Sword fern | 3 |
| Nerium oleander | Oleander | 1 |
| Nicotiana glauca | Wild tobacco | 1 |
| Opuntia aurantiaca | Jointed cactus | 1 |
| Opuntia exaltata | Long spine cactus | 1 |
| Opuntia | Mission prickly pear, Sweet prickly pear | 1 |
| Opuntia humifusa | Large flowered prickly pear, Creeping prickly pear |
1 |
| Opuntia imbricata | Imbricate cactus, Imbricate prickly pear |
1 |
| Opuntia lindheimeri | Small round – leaved prickly pear | 1 |
| Opuntia monacantha | Cochineal prickly pear, Drooping prickly pear |
1 |
| Opuntia rosea | Rosea cactus | 1 |
| Opuntia spinulifera | Saucepan cactus, Large roundleaved prickly pear |
1 |
| Opuntia stricta | Pest pear of Australia | 1 |
| Orobanche minor | Lesser broomrape, Clover broomrape |
1 |
| Paraserianthes lophantha | Austalian Albizia, Stink bean | 1 |
| Parthenium hysterophorus | Parthenium | 1 |
| Passiflora caerulea | Blue passion flower | 1 |
| Passiflora molissima | Banana poka, Bandadilla | 1 |
| Passiflora suberosa | Devil’s pumpkin, Indigo berry | 1 |
| Passiflora subpeltata | Grandina | 1 |
| Pennisetum setaceum | Fountain grass | 1 |
| Pennisetum villosum | Feathertop | 1 |
| Pereskia aculeata | Pereskia/Barbados gooseberry | 1 |
| Phytolacca dioica | Belhambra | 3 |
| Pinus canariensis | Canary den | 2 |
| Pinus elliotti | Slash pine | 2 |
| Pinus halepensis | Aleppo pine | 2 |
| Pinus patula | Patula pine | 2 |
| Pinus pinaster | Cluster pine | 2 |
| Pinus radiata | Radiata pine, Monterey pine | 2 |
| Pinus roxburghii | Chir pine, longifolia pine |
2 |
| Pinus taeda | Loblolly pine | 2 |
| Pistia stratiotes | Water lettuce | 1 |
| Pittosporum undulatum | Australian cheesewood, Sweet pittospormum |
1 |
| Plectranthus comosus | Abyssinian’ coleus, Wooly plectranthus |
3 |
| Pontederia cordata | Pickerel weed | 3 |
| Populus alba | White popular | 2 |
| Populus x canescens | Grey popular, Matchwood popular |
2 |
| Prosopis glandulosa | Honey mesquite | 2 |
| Proposis velutina | Velvet mesquite | 2 |
| Psidium cattleianum | Strawberry guava | 3 |
| Psidium guajava | Guava | 2 |
| Psidium guineense | Brazilian guava | 3 |
| Psidium x durbanensis | Durban guava | 1 |
| Pueraria lobata | Kudu vine | 1 |
| Pyrancantha angustifolia | Yellow firethorn | 3 |
| Pyrancantha crenulata | Himalayan firethorn | 3 |
| Rhus succedanea | Wax tree | 1 |
| Ricinus communis | Castor – oil plant | 2 |
| Rivina humilis | Rivina, Bloodberry | 1 |
| Robinia pseudoacacia | Black locust | 2 |
| Rorippa nasturtium – aquaticum | Watercress | 2 |
| Rosa rubiginosa | Eglantine, Sweetbriar |
1 |
| Rubus cuneifolius | American bramble | 1 |
| Rubus fruticosus | European blackberry | 2 |
| Salix babylonica | Weeping willow | 2 |
| Salix fragilis | Crack or brittle willow | 2 |
| Salvinia molesta | Kariba weed | 1 |
| Schinus terebinthifolius | Brazilian pepper tree | Category 1 in KwaZulu-Natal Category 3 in the rest of South Africa |
| Senna bicapsularis | Rambling cassia | 3 |
| Senna didymobotrya | Peanut butter cassia | 3 |
| Senna pendule | 3 | |
| Sesbania punicea | Red sesbania | 1 |
| Solanum elaeagnifolium | Silver-leaf bitter apple | 1 |
| Solanum mauritianum | Bugweed | 1 |
| Solanum seaforthianum | Potato creeper | 1 |
| Solanum sisymbriifolium | Wild tomato,Dense – thorned bitter apple |
2 |
| Sorghum halepense | Johnson grass, Aleppo grass | 2 |
| Spartium junceum | Spanish broom | 1 |
| Syzygium cumini | Jambolan | 3 |
| Syzygium jambos | Rose apple | 3 |
| Tamarix chinensis | Chinese tamarisk | Category 1 plant in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape Category 3 plant in the rest of South Africa |
| Tamarix ramosissima | Pink tamarisk | Category 1 plant in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape Category 3 plant in the rest of South Africa |
| Tecoma stans | Yellow bells | 1 |
| Thelechitonia trilobata | Singapore daisy | Category 1 in KwaZulu-Natal Category 3 in the rest of South Africa |
| Thevetia | Yellow oleander | 1 |
| Tipuana tipu | Tipu tree | 3 |
| Tithonia diversifolia | Mexican sunflower | 1 |
| Tithonia rotundifolia | Red sunflower | 1 |
| Toona ciliata | Toon tree | 3 |
| Triplaris americana | Indian almond | 1 |
| Ulex europaeus | European gorse | 1 |
| Xanthium spinosum | Spiny cocklebur | 1 |
| Xanthium strumarium | Large cocklebur | 1 |
For a full list of invasive alien plants and more information on invasive species, click here http://www.invasives.org.za/invasive-plants.html to go the Invasive Species South Africa website