Page Sec1:27 - Labyrint 2013 - English Edition

Oxlip (Primula elatior) Dispersal: Large parts of the
country. Introduced as an ornamental plant from Asia and
Europe, but is found in the wild in northern Norway.
“There are some smaller plants that are invasive, but because
of their size they are not able to displace very much of the
natural vegetation. The yellow oxlip that is found in Tromsø
is a good example of this,” Elvebakk says. Photo: Wikimedia
commons
Sources: The Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre, Council for
Biological Diversity (SABIMA), the Norwegian Encyclopaedia.
Icelandic Poppy (Papaver croceum). Dispersal: Large parts of the country. Probably originated in central Asia,
and is a common garden plant in Norway that easily spreads into the wild.
“The Icelandic poppy behaves much like oxlip, but we do have a corner of the botanical garden where they are al-
lowed to grow freely along with other alpine poppies,” Elvebakk notes. Photo: Arve Elvebakk
Sources: The Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre, Council for Biological Diversity (SABIMA), the Norwegian
­Encyclopaedia.
Persian hogweed (Heracleum persicum). Dispersal: Northern Norway, with occasional occurrences farther
south. Introduced as an ornamental plant in Alta and Hammerfest in 1836. Listed as high risk on the Norwegian
Biodiversity Information Centre’s Black List.
“Persian hogweed tends to grow in cultural landscapes, rather than along with lush forest vegetation. It is among
the most aggressive pest plants we have, although it is still no land equivalent of the king crab, which is taking over
the sea bottom,” says Elvebakk. Foto: Asbjørn Floden_flickr.com
Sources: The Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre, Council for Biological Diversity (SABIMA), the Norwegian
­Encyclopaedia.
Korg plant (Senecio candolleanus).
The botanical garden sometimes cultivates non-native plants
that could potentially be invasive.
“Three years ago, we added a new species to the Caucasus col-
lection. It quickly spread several meters away from the mother
plant. We documented this photographically and using herba-
ria, and then cleared it out of the garden. It has been added to
the local Black List, and will not be put back into the garden,”
says Elvebakk, adding that the garden regularly checks new
species’ ability to spread. Photo: Arve Elvebakk
Sources: The Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre, Council for
Biological Diversity (SABIMA), the Norwegian Encyclopaedia.
University of Tromsø – Labyrint E/13 ••• 27
Photo feature