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  • Unwanted Organisms

Unwanted Organisms

In New Zealand, an unwanted organism is any species officially designated under the Biosecurity Act 1993 as potentially harmful to the environment, human health, or natural resources. This designation is made by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and listed in the Unwanted Organisms Register. Once declared unwanted, it becomes illegal to sell, propagate, or distribute the organism without permission. These organisms are often targeted for control, containment, or eradication through national or regional pest management programmes.

Pests of concern to NZ | ONZPR | MPI | NZ Govt To bring up list of plants that are unwanted organisms select ‘plant’ as organism type and ‘yes’ for Unwanted.

Management Agencies
Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI)

    • Aegagropila linnaei
    • African clubmoss (Selaginella kraussiana)
    • African feather grass (Cenchrus caudatus)
    • African fountain grass (Cenchrus setaceus)
    • African love grass (Eragrostis curvula)
    • alkali-grass (Toxicoscordion venenosum)
    • alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides)
    • aluminium plant (Lamium galeobdolon)
    • American cancer-root (Conopholis americana)
    • Amyema artensis
    • aristea (Aristea ecklonii)
    • arrowhead (Sagittaria montevidensis)
    • arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia)
    • arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica)
    • Asiatic knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)
    • Australian tree fern (Sphaeropteris cooperi)
    • baccharis (Baccharis halimifolia)
    • Balanophora fungosa
    • Balanophora wilderi
    • balloon vine (Cardiospermum grandiflorum)
    • banana passionfruit (Passiflora mixta)
    • banana passionfruit (Passiflora tarminiana)
    • banana passionfruit (Passiflora tripartita)
    • bartlettina (Bartlettina sordida)
    • bat-wing passion flower (Passiflora apetala)
    • beech drops (Epifagus virginiana)
    • bell heather (Erica cinerea)
    • blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides)
    • bladderwort (Utricularia arenaria)
    • bladderwort (Utricularia gibba)
    • bladderwort (Utricularia livida)
    • bladderwort (Utricularia sandersonii)
    • blessed thistle (Centaurea benedicta)
    • blue morning glory (Ipomoea indica)
    • blue passion flower (Passiflora caerulea)
    • bog rhubarb (Petasites hybridus)
    • bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata)
    • Bohemian knotweed (Reynoutria × bohemica)
    • Bolivian fuchsia (Fuchsia boliviana)
    • bomarea (Bomarea multiflora)
    • boneseed (Osteospermum moniliferum subsp. moniliferum)
    • Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolia)
    • buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris)
    • bush dodder (Cassytha filiformis)
    • bushy asparagus (Asparagus aethiopicus)
    • bushy asparagus (Asparagus densiflorus)
    • butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
    • cabomba (Cabomba caroliniana)
    • California bullrush (Schoenoplectus californicus)
    • Californian buckthorn (Frangula purshiana)
    • caltrop (Tribulus terrestris)
    • camel grass (Cymbopogon schoenanthus)
    • Cape sundew (Drosera capensis)
    • Cape tulip (Moraea flaccida)
    • cat's claw creeper (Dolichandra unguis-cati)
    • cathedral bells (Cobaea scandens)
    • Caulerpa parvifolia
    • Cenchrus
    • Cenchrus echinatus
    • Cenchrus longispinus
    • Cenchrus tribuloides
    • Cephalaria syriaca
    • Chilean flame creeper (Tropaeolum speciosum)
    • Chilean glory creeper (Eccremocarpus scaber)
    • Chilean maiten (Maytenus boaria)
    • Chilean rhubarb (Gunnera tinctoria)
    • Chinese ephedra (Ephedra sinica)
    • Chinese knotweed (Persicaria chinensis)
    • Chinese pennisetum (Cenchrus alopecuroides)
    • Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis)
    • chocolate vine (Akebia quinata)
    • clasped pondweed (Potamogeton perfoliatus)
    • clerodendrum (Clerodendrum trichotomum)
    • climbing asparagus (Asparagus scandens)
    • climbing spindleberry (Celastrus orbiculatus)
    • coast mistletoe (Muellerina celastroides)
    • coffee senna (Senna occidentalis)
    • coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
    • Columbus grass (Sorghum × almum)
    • common polypody (Polypodium vulgare)
    • common waternymph (Najas guadalupensis)
    • contorta pine (Pinus contorta)
    • cowpea witchweed (Striga gesnerioides)
    • crab's claw (Stratiotes aloides)
    • crack willow (Salix fragilis)
    • crenate broomrape (Orobanche crenata)
    • Cynanchum
    • Darwin's barberry (Berberis darwinii)
    • death weed (Iva axillaris)
    • Decaisnina forsteriana
    • delta arrowhead (Sagittaria platyphylla)
    • devil's tail (Persicaria perfoliata)
    • devil's trumpet (Datura metel)
    • digger pine dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium campylopodum subsp. occidentale)
    • Diodia alata
    • dodder (Cuscuta gronovii)
    • dodder (Cuscuta indecora)
    • dodder (Cuscuta pentagona)
    • dotted mint (Monarda punctata)
    • Douglas fir dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium douglasii)
    • drooping mistletoe (Amyema pendula)
    • duck and drake bush (Hakea lissocarpha)
    • dusky coral pea (Kennedia rubicunda)
    • dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium americanum)
    • dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium campylopodum)
    • dwarf thistle (Cirsium acaule)
    • eastern dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum)
    • eastern leafy mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum subsp. leucarpum)
    • eel grass (Vallisneria australis)
    • egeria (Elodea densa)
    • Egyptian broomrape (Phelipanche aegyptiaca)
    • elephant grass (Cenchrus purpureus)
    • Equisetum
    • Erianthemum virescens
    • Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)
    • evergreen buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus)
    • fairy crassula (Crassula multicava)
    • false tamarisk (Myricaria germanica)
    • feathertop (Cenchrus longisetus)
    • ferny asparagus (Asparagus plumosus)
    • field horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
    • fir dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium abietinum)
    • fire tree (Morella faya)
    • flat-bud prickly poppy (Argemone munita)
    • Formosa lily (Lilium formosanum)
    • fragrant virgin's bower (Clematis flammula)
    • fringed water lily (Nymphoides peltata)
    • giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
    • giant knotweed (Reynoutria sachalinensis)
    • giant reed (Arundo donax)
    • globe-podded hoary-cress (Lepidium appelianum)
    • Gnaphalium
    • golden dodder (Cuscuta campestris)
    • grass-leaved arrowhead (Sagittaria graminea)
    • great reedmace (Typha latifolia)
    • great willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum)
    • green cestrum (Cestrum parqui)
    • grey willow (Salix cinerea)
    • Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus)
    • hairy fountain grass (Cenchrus pedicellatus)
    • heather (Calluna vulgaris)
    • hemlock dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium campylopodum subsp. tsugense)
    • Hieracium
    • Himalayan dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium minutissimum)
    • hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)
    • horse nettle (Solanum carolinense)
    • houttuynia (Houttuynia cordata)
    • hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata)
    • iceplant (Carpobrotus edulis)
    • Italian jasmine (Chrysojasminum humile)
    • Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
    • Japanese spindle tree (Euonymus japonicus)
    • Japanese walnut (Juglans ailantifolia)
    • Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense)
    • Khasia berry (Cotoneaster simonsii)
    • Korthalsella
    • kudzu vine (Pueraria montana var. lobata)
    • Lactuca
    • lagarosiphon (Lagarosiphon major)
    • lantana (Lantana camara)
    • larch dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium campylopodum subsp. laricis)
    • leafy mistletoe (Dendrophthoe falcata)
    • leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula)
    • lens-podded white-top (Lepidium chalepense)
    • Ligaria cuneifolia
    • little love grass (Eragrostis minor)
    • lizard grass (Sporobolus junceus)
    • loose silky bent (Apera spica-venti)
    • Loranthaceae
    • Loranthus
    • Loranthus grewingkii
    • Madeira vine (Anredera cordifolia)
    • Manchurian rice grass (Zizania latifolia)
    • mare's tail (Hippuris vulgaris)
    • marsh horsetail (Equisetum palustre)
    • marshwort (Nymphoides geminata)
    • Mexican daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus)
    • Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima)
    • Mexican water lily (Nymphaea mexicana)
    • mickey mouse plant (Ochna serrulata)
    • mile-a-minute (Dipogon lignosus)
    • mission grass (Setaria parviflora)
    • mistletoe (Dendrophthora mesembryanthemifolia)
    • mistletoe (Erianthemum dregei)
    • mistletoe (Globimetula braunii)
    • mistletoe (Phoradendron quadrangulare)
    • mistletoe (Psittacanthus calyculatus)
    • mistletoe (Struthanthus oerstedii)
    • mistletoe (Tapinanthus belvisii)
    • mistletoe (Taxillus cuneatus)
    • mistletoe (Tristerix corymbosus)
    • mistletoe (Tristerix verticillatus)
    • mistletoe (Viscum album)
    • mistletoe (Viscum articulatum)
    • mistletoe (Viscum multicostatum)
    • monkey apple (Syzygium smithii)
    • monkey comb vine (Amphilophium crucigerum)
    • Moreton Bay chesnut (Castanospermum australe)
    • moth plant (Araujia sericifera)
    • mouse-ear hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum)
    • Mysore thorn (Biancaea decapetala)
    • narrowleaf cumbungi (Typha domingensis)
    • Nassella
    • nassella tussock (Nassella trichotoma)
    • Natal red grass (Melinis repens)
    • old man's beard (Clematis vitalba)
    • orange cestrum (Cestrum aurantiacum)
    • orange firethorn (Pyracantha angustifolia)
    • Paederia lanuginosa
    • pampas (Cortaderia selloana)
    • Panicum maximum
    • parrot's feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)
    • parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus)
    • pendulous sedge (Carex pendula)
    • Peruvian primrose-willow (Ludwigia peruviana)
    • Phoradendron leucarpum subsp. macrophyllum
    • Phoradendron leucarpum subsp. tomentosum
    • phragmites (Phragmites australis)
    • pig's ear (Cotyledon orbiculata)
    • Port Jackson fig (Ficus rubiginosa)
    • primrose willow (Ludwigia peploides)
    • purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
    • purple pampas (Cortaderia jubata)
    • purple witchweed (Striga hermonthica)
    • purple-leaved plectranthus (Plectranthus ciliatus)
    • pyp grass (Ehrharta villosa)
    • Queensland poplar (Homalanthus populifolius)
    • red cestrum (Cestrum elegans)
    • red cestrum (Cestrum fasciculatum)
    • rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum)
    • rough horsetail (Equisetum hyemale)
    • royal fern (Osmunda regalis)
    • Rubus ellipticus
    • rum cherry (Prunus serotina)
    • salvinia (Salvinia × molesta)
    • sandalwood (Santalum album)
    • scrambling lily (Geitonoplesium cymosum)
    • sea anemone passion flower (Passiflora actinia)
    • sea spurge (Euphorbia paralias)
    • Senegal tea (Gymnocoronis spilanthoides)
    • Siam weed (Chromolaena odorata)
    • silver-leaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium)
    • simple-stem burr-reed (Sparganium erectum)
    • skeleton weed (Chondrilla juncea)
    • skunk vine (Paederia foetida)
    • small balloon vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum)
    • smilax (Asparagus asparagoides)
    • snow poppy (Eomecon chionantha)
    • southwestern dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium vaginatum)
    • spiny emex (Rumex spinosus)
    • spiny naiad (Najas marina)
    • star of Bethlehem (Hippobroma longiflora)
    • stemless thistle (Onopordum acaulon)
    • Striga
    • Striga angustifolia
    • Striga lutea
    • strychnine (Strychnos nux-vomica)
    • sweet pea shrub (Polygala myrtifolia)
    • sweet pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum)
    • tangle-head (Heteropogon contortus)
    • Tasmanian ngaio (Myoporum insulare)
    • thickhead (Crassocephalum crepidioides)
    • Tourrettia lappacea
    • tradescantia (Tradescantia fluminensis)
    • tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
    • tree privet (Ligustrum lucidum)
    • tridax daisy (Tridax procumbens)
    • tuber ladder fern (Nephrolepis cordifolia)
    • tussock hawkweed (Hieracium levicaule subsp. lepidulum)
    • tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum)
    • Uruguay pennisetum (Cenchrus latifolius)
    • variable mistletoe (Amyema congener)
    • velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti)
    • water chesnut (Trapa natans)
    • water fern (Salvinia minima)
    • water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes)
    • water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)
    • water poppy (Hydrocleys nymphoides)
    • white bryony (Bryonia cretica)
    • white-edged nightshade (Solanum marginatum)
    • wild ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum)
    • witch-weed (Striga asiatica)
    • woolly nightshade (Solanum mauritianum)
    • yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus)
    • yellow ginger (Hedychium flavescens)
    • yellow water-lily (Nuphar lutea)
    • dwarf mistletoe (Korthalsella lindsayi)
    • dwarf mistletoe (Korthalsella salicornioides)
    • kikuyu grass (Cenchrus clandestinus)
    • mistletoe (Korthalsella clavata)
    • pearl barley (Cenchrus americanus)
    • pirita (Alepis flavida)
    • pirita (Peraxilla colensoi)
    • pirita (Trilepidea adamsii)
    • red mistletoe (Peraxilla tetrapetala)
    • small-flowered mistletoe (Ileostylus micranthus)
    • taapia (Tupeia antarctica)
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Smart Weed Alert Tool - Detecting weed incursions early

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