UK bans import of annoying alien plants

[Whitemane]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21232108

Specifically:

• water fern,
• parrot's feather,
• floating pennywort,
• water primrose and
• Australian swamp stonecrop.

[Corwen]

Sadly they have banned these many years too late.

[Aphritha]

Upon reading the heading, I got a picture in my head of green men beaming down with flowers in their hands...
Yes I know, its not the point...apologies for my overactive imagination.

[Xenastrah]

I am glad to hear and read this. I was surprised to read that Floating Pennywort can grow up to 8 inches a day! That in itself shocked me! I hope that they are able to turn this around and it isn't too late.

[Corwen]

It is much too late, these plants were known to be a problem more than 10 years ago, but like the Ash trees our government values trade so much over nature that only when total disater has already happened will they do anything which restricts trade. Whole sections of the canal network in particular are choked by water fern.