Weeds and plants
Dandelions and quackgrass aren’t the only weeds a gardener in Calgary needs to look out for – invasive ornamental plants can sometimes disguise themselves as pretty flowers and wreak havoc on our urban and wild landscapes.
Weeds and plants to watch out for
Invasive ornamentals may look nice, but they choke other desirable garden species, take over flower beds and lawns, and spread rapidly between yards and parks. The province of Alberta regulates weeds under the Weed Control Act in 2 categories: Noxious and Prohibited Noxious.
In Calgary, the Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) program aims to prevent the spread of a priority list of invasive weeds through accurate identification and early intervention to minimize long-term environmental impacts and economic costs by targeting invasive species during their initial stage of establishment. These invasive plants not only have serious and unfortunate impacts on your immediate environment - they affect many areas of Calgary's economy and ecology. By encouraging the establishment and spread of these sneaky invaders, we risk:
- Altering natural plant communities and reducing both animal and plant diversity.
- Degrading bird, fish and wildlife habitats.
- Changing water flow, availability and quality.
- Increasing challenges to food production (including price hikes to compensate for increased weed control.)
- Potentially reducing the aesthetic, tourism and property values of infested areas within the city.
That's why the City is shining a spotlight on EDRR species Calgarians need to be aware of.
Invasive plants to avoid in Calgary
| Scientific Name | Common Name(s) and Ornamental Varieties |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name : Alliaria petiolata (M. Bieb.) |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Garlic mustard,
garlic root, garglicwort, hedge garlic, Jack-by-the-hedge, poorman’s-mustard |
| Scientific Name : Berteroa incana (L.) DC. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Hoary alyssum,
hoary false madwort, hoary false alyssum |
| Scientific Name : Butomus umbellatus L. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Flowering rush,
grassy rush, water gladiolus |
| Scientific Name : Centaurea jacea L. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Brown knapweed,
common knapweed, hardheads, brown-ray knapweed |
| Scientific Name : Centaurea × psammogena Gáyer | Common Name(s) and Ornamental Varieties : |
| Scientific Name : Cirsium palustre (L.) Scop. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Marsh thistle,
marsh plume thistle, European swamp thistle |
| Scientific Name : Daucus carota |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Wild carrot, Queen Anne’s lace, bird’s
nest, bishop’s lace, carrot flower |
| Scientific Name : Fallopia japonica (Houtt.) Ronse Decr. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Japanese
knotweed, Asian knotweed, elephant-ear bamboo, fleece flower,
Japanese bamboo, wild rhubarb, donkey rhubarb |
| Scientific Name : Impatiens glandulifera |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Himalayan
Balsam, policeman's helmet, Himalayan impatiens, ornamental jewelweed,
kiss-me-on-the-mountain, Indian touch-me-not, Indian balsam, poor man's orchid |
| Scientific Name : Iris pseudacorus L. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Pale yellow
iris, yellow flag iris, water flag |
| Scientific Name : Jacobaea vulgaris Gaertn. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Tansy ragwort,
Stinking willies, staggerwort, tansy butterweed |
| Scientific Name : Lepidium appelianum Al-Shehbaz | Common Name(s) and Ornamental Varieties : |
| Scientific Name : Lepidium draba L. | Common Name(s) and Ornamental Varieties : |
| Scientific Name : Lythrum salicaria L. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Purple
loosestrife, purple lythrum, spiked loosestrife |
| Scientific Name : Pilosella aurantiaca L. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Orange hawkweed,
king devil, orange-red king devil, devil’s paintbrush, red daisy flameweed
orange paintbrush, orange aster |
| Scientific Name : Pilosella caespitosa Dumort. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Meadow hawkweed,
yellow hawkweed, field hawkweed |
| Scientific Name : Rhamnus cathartica L. |
Common Name(s) and Ornamental
Varieties
:
Common
buckthorn, buckthorn, European buckthorn |
| Scientific Name : Thesium ramosum | Common Name(s) and Ornamental Varieties : |
If you spot one of these species in Calgary report it on the EDRR Report form.