Taiwan Cherry - invasive garden escapee
Archived content: This media release was accurate on the date of publication.
Introduction
The invasive garden tree Taiwan cherry is out in flower right now! Its blossoms have spread a deep pink through Whangarei city and into surrounding forests.Date: 05 August 2010
The invasive garden tree Taiwan cherry is out in flower right now! Its blossoms have spread a deep pink through Whangarei city (Northland) and into surrounding forests.
Close-up of Taiwan cherry flowers.
The tree’s blossoming is conspicuous because of the early arrival of the flowers in July - getting in before the rest! The successful spread of the tree from gardens to roadsides makes it even more noticeable.
The tree is common in roadside bush along Parua Bay and Western Hills Drive.
Keeping Taiwan cherry away from your local forest and special places such as Bream Head with rare and nationally threatened plants is a must.
Birds transport this weedy tree’s fruit, and once Taiwan cherry gets into bush, it's hard to kill. It will sprout from the roots and push out the range of native plants that would otherwise supply food for birds all year round.
It's recommended to remove the plant from your garden. Go to your garden centre and ask for tried and tested, non-weedy alternatives such as fruit trees, or how about a puriri, a rata, and a cabbage tree to keep the birds coming all year long!
To knowingly spread Taiwan cherry is a breach of the Biosecurity Act according to Northland Regional Council’s Regional Pest Management Strategy.