Weeds & People
|
- The settlers who came to NZ missed
the familiar animals and plants of their homelands, so they
brought some with them. The new settlers thought the
native food plants were strange, so they sent home for wheat,
barley and fruit trees. 'Acclimatisation
Societies' were formed and brought many exotic
plants and animals to New Zealand that they thought were useful
or beautiful. They worked hard to help those species get established
in the wild. Settlers brought plants to NZ for crops, food for
livestock (e.g. pasture grasses), shelter for stock (after clearing
the forest) and some plants for their gardens to remind them of
home
|
|
|
- Some plants were
introduced accidentally. Seeds
of plants were brought ashore in mattress stuffing, the padding
of saddles, stuck on clothing and hidden in soil around plants.
- Wars and large movements of troops
and equipment (particularly during WWII) have been important pathways
for weed transport around the world.
|
|
|
|
How do weeds get to New Zealand? |
|
people plant 'pretty' weeds in their gardens! |
|
|
|
|
- More recently, people have
introduced plants for
agriculture (more exotic pasture grasses!),
forestry (pine and
eucalypt trees) or
horticulture (all of the fruit & vegetables we
eat). Many people grow plants in their
gardens that are from other countries because they are
interesting or pretty. Over half NZ's
aquatic weeds were also introduced as
ornamental plants (for fishtanks)!
|
|
Are
weeds useful to some people?
Yes!
Some useful apsects of weeds:
- soil stabilisation
(reduce erosion) (e.g., poplar trees)
- habitat and food for wildlife (e.g., privet)
- nectar & pollen for honeybees (e.g., gorse)
- human consumption, medicines, building materials, craft-making
(e.g., blackberry is valued for food)
However, native plants can do most of these things as well!
Weedy
facts | Weeds & people |
Weeds
are bad |
Weed
spread |
Why
do weeds grow better? |
Future
weeds