Ms_PymMy goodness African Boxthorn is a menace. It tackles up into itself like a roll of barb wire and even when it’s all dried out it just forms caltrop-mulch. #Gardening #Weedbusters #Boxthorn
To be fair, I can see how it could be viewed as a super useful plant under certain circumstances. It keeps lions away from your cattle and your cattle from escaping and it provides a continual source of kindling and firewood, as well as a habitat for small prey creatures. But does that describe #AoNZ?
So what was that guy thinking when he imported it as a hedge plant, released in Taranaki in the 1860s, and then gave up on trimming it because it was too hard slash no one wanted that job given the tools of the day?
Pic for the curious. All that green stuff? Covered in thorns. Suffocating two separate elms.
Our goal is to stop it producing berries this year. Each berry hs up to 70 seeds and they remain viable for three years. So this is a multi-year project.