: : • Tiny (2mm) flowers clustered together on spikes 100mm long • Glossy, bright red, round berries • Variable colours: white, greenish to pink, purplish up to 5mm across • October to June (sometimes all year) • Single hairy seed per Cape Town Weed Alert / bloodberry (Rivina humilis) (Rivina humilis)

Rivina/bloodberry

SHRUB: • Perennial herb growing up to 1m high • Spreading branches IDENTIFICATION: IDENTIFICATION:

STEM: • Thin, woody stems : Please report all sightings of bloodberry to • Green, pliable and slightly hairy when young • Thin, light green with smooth edges • Smooth • On long, thin stalks www.capetowninvasives.org.za Why is it a problem? Legal status Join the • Rapid growth after disturbance, forming dense stands. Cape Town • Competes against indigenous . • Invasive along watercourses. EDRR • Poisonous. 1b Spotter Network

NEMBA Category 1b Invader Remove & Destroy What can I do? How does it spread? May not be traded

• Fruits loved by birds which distribute seeds 1) Sign up to the Spotter Network at over large distances . How do I remove it? • Tolerates shade and poor . www.capetowninvasives.org.za • Germinates rapidly after disturbance. 2) Log your sightings on the Spotter Network so we know • Cut and remove flowers and berries before where the plants are situated. Sightings to date birds find them. • Young shoots can be pulled out by hand. 3) How do I remove it? • Mature plants need to be physically Help us complete this picture. If you can physically remove the , log its removal on dug out by their roots. Where does it grow? Have you seen it? the system so that we know that it has been removed. • Note: All parts of this plant are poisonous – wear protective clothing. 4) If you can’t remove it yourself, the Cape Town • Ensure all root fragments are removed. Invasive Species Unit will send out a team. • For chemical control, contact the Cape Town Invasive Species office. • WARNING: Herbicides should only be applied by suitably trained and equipped individuals. For more information, contact: The Cape Town Invasive Species Unit, Environmental Resource Management, Westlake Conservation Office, Ou Kaapse Weg, Tokai. What if I can’t remove it myself? Tel: (021) 712 1434/1944 Email: [email protected] Join the Spotter Network and Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ctinvasives the Cape Town Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) unit will send out a team to help you.

Help us protect Cape Town’s natural heritage from alien invader plant species. Sign up online and become a volunteer. www.capetowninvasives.org.za