Rhododendron

Rhododendron ponticum

This alien evergreen species originates from southern Spain and Portugal. On acid or peaty soils it speads rapidly into a thick, tangled shrub layer, smothering native species in its path. It seeds easily and can spread over wide areas having a serious detrimental effect on natural habitats. Although considered a shrub or small tree, specimens have been found up to 10 metres in height and over 140 years old. The plant is toxic to all British wildlife and also poisons the soil in which it grows, rendering it inhospitable to many species for years after the Rhododendron has been cleared.