Be Plant Wise Trail

At the National Botanic Gardens

At sixteen places around the gardens you will see giant plant labels with the Be Plant Wise logos on top. The plants featured are garden plants that are known to invade habitats in Ireland. The labels feature pictures of the places they have invaded, along with a quick identification guide to the plants themselves. More information is available on the following website:

Be Plant Wise trail map at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin

An example of one of the Be Plant Wise stops on display at the National Botanic Gardens

Plants featured

The trail features the following garden plants. Please note that the some of the identification features such as fruits, flowers or leaves may not be present at this time of the year on the plants. This highlights how we need to be able to identify invasive alien species at all stages of their growth.

Common name

Latin Name

Location on Map

Cotoneaster species

Cotoneaster horizontalis and C. integrifolius

Cotoneaster collection

Spanish Bluebell

Hyaconthoides hispanica

Legume class

Salmonberry

Rubus spectabilis

Rubus class

Pheasant’s Tail Grass or New Zealand Wind Grass

Anemanthele lessoniana

(syn. Stipa arundinacea)

Native area by run down cottage

Hottentot Fig

Carpobrotus edulis

Native area by run down cottage

Sea Buckthorn

Hippophae rhamnoides

Cemetery shrubbery

Acaena

Acaena novae- zealandica

Scree bed near rockery

Rhododendron

Rhododendron ponticum

Near pond area

Three cornered leek

Allium triquetrum

Near Chinese slope

American skunk cabbage

Lysichiton americanus

Beside the pond

New Zealand pigmyweed

Crassula helmsii

In the pond

Curly waterweed

Lagarosiphon major

In the pond

Giant Rhubarb

Gunnera tinctoria and to a lesser extent Gunnera manicata

By the pond

Himalayan balsam

Impatiens glandulifera

Along the banks of the Tolka

Bamboo

Sasa palmata

Along the banks of the Tolka

Japanese Rose

Rosa rugosa

Opposite woodland garden by river