Be on Alert for Priority Species!

  'Biological Invasion' is the term often used to describe the deliberate or accidental movement of a species beyond its normal habitat range. And although these introduced species are often attractive and harmless-looking in a garden setting, they can wreak incredible havoc on our various habitats. A great deal of information on the harm caused by invasive species is available on the web, and a list of some of these sources can be found in the links page.

Humans - through settlement, trade, travel and tourism - are the main cause of this biological invasion, and humans are now addressing the issue head-on through a process known as Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR). The province of BC and the Invasive Plant Council of BC have recently developed an EDRR plan, which will be implemented by the Inter-Ministry Invasive Species Working Group (IMISWG).

(Click the column headings for sorting preferences)
Some of BC's Priority Species
Common Name Latin Name Duration
Bighead knapweed Centaurea macrocephala Perennial
Black henbane Hyoscyamus niger Annual/ Biennial
Clary sage Salvia sclarea Biennial
Common crupina Crupina vulgaris Annual
Common reed Phragmites australis Perennial
English cordgrass Spartina anglica Perennial
Flowering rush Butomus umbellatus Perennial
Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata Annual/ Biennial
Giant reed Arundo donax Perennial
Jointed goatgrass Aegilops cylindrica Annual
Kudzu Pueraria montana Perennial
Meadow Clary Salvia pratensis Perennial
Mediterranean sage Salvia aethiopis Biennial
Perennial pepperweed Lepidium latifolium Perennial
Purple nutsedge Cyperus rotundus Perennial
Purple starthistle Centaurea calcitrapa Annual/Biennial/ Perennial
Slender / Meadow foxtail Alopecurus myosuroides Annual
Spurge flax Thymelaea passerina Annual
Squarrose knapweed Centaurea virgata Lam. ssp. squarrosa Perennial
Texas blueweed Helianthus ciliaris Perennial
Velvetleaf Abutilon theophrasti Annual
Yellow / Garden loosestrife Lysimachia vulgaris Perennial
Yellow nutsedge Cyperus esculentus Perennial
Yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Annual