Aggressive non-native weed is spreading north

PARTHENIUM: The toxic plant, which was originally from South America, had until
recently only been spotted south of Taichung, but has spread to Miaoli
By Meggie Lu
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Apr 06, 2009, Page 2

“Parthenium contains the toxin parthenin, which is harmful to both human and
animal health.”
�" Huang Shi-yuan, ESRI assistant researcher

One of the pleasures of the great outdoors is enjoying the beautiful greenery.

However, it may not always be a good idea to bring flowers home, the Council of
Agriculture’s (COA) Endemic Species Research Institute (ESRI) said yesterday.

The ESRI said it recently discovered that Parthenium, an aggressive, toxic weed
traditionally found in central and southern Taiwan that looks like the plant
Baby’s Breath, is migrating northward toward Miaoli County.

“Parthenium contains the toxin parthenin, which is harmful to both humans and
animals,” ESRI assistant researcher Huang Shi-yuan (黃士元) said.

When the pollen is inhaled or contacted, parthenin induces an allergy in the
respiratory system as well as skin rashes, Huang said.

While conditions such as rhinitis and bronchitis can result, the toxin has also
been documented to cause liver dysfunctions in humans, or even mass deaths in
livestock in Australia.

Parthenium was originally found in South America.

Because it is a hardy plant that survives in various climates, it has now spread
throughout the world, including India, Australia and Taiwan, Huang said.

“We do not know the exact time that Parthenium was brought to the island, but
its presence has been documented for at least two decades and was listed by the
COA as a toxic plant in 1988,” he said, adding that the institute suspected
that the weed’s seeds were accidentally imported along with edible grains.

What is alarming is that until recently, Parthenium was found only south of
Taichung. But the plant has recently been found to occasionally grow in Miaoli,
Huang said.

“Because its flowers look like Baby’s Breath, some people find them pretty
and bring them home to plant. While right now the plant may not be a big
problem, Parthenium is beginning to enter its flower season, from March to
October, so it is important that people learn about it and destroy it in the
wild, ” Huang said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/04/06/2003440335