Hawke’s Bay residents are being asked to remove any woolly nightshade plants on their land, but to take care with handling and disposal. | Hawke’s Bay Regional Council biosecurity staff say that the plant is an aggressive invader and a health hazard, as people handling it may suffer nausea and irritation of the skin and respiratory tract. “Gardeners and farmers can really help reduce the incidence of the weed by carefully removing any plants they find and disposing of them properly,” said Mike Perry, biosecurity officer. “These plants are definitely not suitable for your compost heap or green waste collection, as the seeds will survive that treatment - the safest disposal is burning or putting them into landfill.” |  | Woolly nightshade is a shrub but can quickly grow into a small tree 10 metres high and become more difficult to remove. It has spread throughout the region’s roadsides and gardens, particularly thriving in warmer parts of the region. Seedlings that establish in spring can flower by autumn and continue flowering. The plant can be identified by small, pretty, lilac flowers which are massed in clusters at the ends of branches, and produce green berries up to 18 mm in diameter which yellow when ripe. It also has distinctive hairy, oval leaves. Woolly nightshade is also known as tobacco weed, kerosene plant, flannel weed and eared nightshade. We have information on this website about woolly nightshade and other plants pests, or you can contact the Council for more information. |