Invasive plants removed from river bank
The plant has a very pretty flower, but is regarded as highly invasive, spreading widely wherever it occurs and preventing other plants from growing.
KCA's Noel Clare notes that on the Barrow river the plant has 'completely taken over' large areas.
According to Inland Fisheries Ireland, the plant grows up to three metres high, and is spread by seeds explosion which can carry seeds up to seven metres away. It also dies back in the autumn, and exposes the bare bank sides to erosive winter flows of water.
Some concern has been expressed by local bees enthusiast Paul Leighton, who wrote on the KCA Facebook page that Himalayan is a 'very important' plant for bees, as it is pollen-laden and favoured by both the native bumble bee and the Irish brown honey bee.
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