A beautiful plant with small pink flowers and long red stems threatens native plants in gardens and parks throughout Greater Victoria.
Biologists, ecologists, and ecologists don’t take a shine to this shiny geranium.
The Capital Regional District and the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia are urging the public to report any outbreaks of this aggressive, invasive member of the nutmeg family before it destroys the sensitive ecosystems of southern Vancouver Island.
“It’s a beautiful little plant, but it’s so aggressive and so successful right now that it can displace all the native species,” said Glenn Harris, CRD senior environmental conservation manager. “We’re starting to see it across the region.”
The brilliant geranium, popular in Europe and Asia, appeared 10 years ago, after it was brought here from nurseries in the contaminated containers of other plants.
It has been spotted in Langford, Otter Point, North Saanich, Oak Bay, Saanich, Victoria and the Gulf Islands, Harris said. There are several spots in the Lower Continent.
“You could say it’s spreading fast. We see reports of this everywhere and in many private gardens. That’s why we attract attention. Keep your eyes peeled for that. Collect it, pull it out and dispose of it properly,” Harris said.
Brilliant geranium crowds out and eliminates native vegetation. Left alone, it will take over the understory, the layer of plants and shrubs that grows below the forest canopy, Harris said.
“You get a huge carpet of shiny geraniums. It’s so aggressive towards everything that’s racing down there.”
The plants can reproduce five times a year, throwing seeds up to six meters without wind when the pods are ripe.
“It is the rate of change that worries biologists and ecologists. It’s happening too fast and the ecosystem can’t adapt.”
Shiny geraniums are really shiny and their stems turn red as they ripen, said Harris, who saw them a few days ago in ditches at Goldstream Park. The plant can be confused with pigeon geranium, which has similar-looking leaves, but its leaves and stems are hairy. The glossy geranium leaves are softer.
Botanist Wiley Thomas runs a federally funded project to protect 16 threatened species at Uplands Park and Cattle Point, and more recently at Mary Todd Island and Trafalgar Park, near the Chinese Cemetery.
He said the flower meadows are under threat from invasive species and housing development.
“And the glossy geranium is a new arrival and seems to like the same habitat,” Thomas said.
In March, Thomas found glossy geraniums on King George Terrace, along Foul Bay Road and in Walbran Park in the Gonzales area.
“Everywhere we’ve seen it in the South Island it’s been taken over very quickly. I have just arrived in south Oak Bay and I am concerned that the entire natural heritage is at risk. The last thing we want to see is a new invasive weed.
Many municipal funds and volunteer efforts have gone into the restoration and preservation of natural areas in Oak Bay. But it’s also in people’s best interest to get rid of it because it’s taking over gardens, he said.
“Shiny geranium is a good example of an invasive plant that we can change,” said Gail Wallin, executive director of the British Columbia Invasive Species Council. The public and gardeners in particular need to be much more aware and sensitive about what they buy, what they plant and what seeds they trade before they plant them.
Wallin recommends reporting any outbreaks of glossy geranium by downloading the Report Invasives BC app or the Report-a-Weed BC app. People can also email CRD at invasive@crd.bc.ca to report an outbreak.
CRD has instructions on how to manually remove and prevent the spread of glossy geranium on its website.
The best time to remove glossy geranium is probably from April to May, Thomas said. Although they are already quite visible, they will sprout and shrivel.
Don’t put it in your compost, all three experts say. CRD warns that weeds should be properly disposed of in thick trash bags labeled “invasive species” at the Hartland Landfill. Oak Bay collects it in double plastic bags and burns it, Thomas said.
ldickson@timescolonist.com
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