– Here there is beauty with an aftertaste. That is how Malene Østreng Nygård describes the flower lupine. She is usually a researcher at the UIA Nature Museum and Botanical Garden, and this week she is with news on the side of the road near the E18 in Grimstad. This is one of many places both in Southern Norway and in the rest of the country where the blacklisted species has made its inroads. – It is one of the worst plants we have and it has been banned. It does a lot of damage and spreads extremely, she says. The blacklisted flower lupins have become larger in size, according to Agder county council. Now they are trying to get the colorful plant removed from Agder’s roads. Malene Østreng Nygård does not think it is too late to fight the lupine if everyone contributes what they can. Photo: Leif Dalen / news Difficult to get rid of Lupins can be found all over the country. Back in the day, this flower was planted along Norwegian roads. The idea was that the garden plant should prevent erosion in the ditch edges. Now, however, work is being done to remove the species, which was blacklisted in 2007 and banned from planting from 2016. – It is difficult to get rid of lupins. But we do what we can to limit the spread in the area, says Mohtasham Ghaderi, advisor for road operations in Agder county municipality. The scope has also become larger, confirms Ghaderi. He stands on the edge of the ditch along the county road between Grenstøl and Fianesvingen, where lupines also grow. Photo: Leif Dalen / news It is one of many stretches where they are now working to remove the flowers. Also along the E18 near Rørmyr, the ditch edges are pink and purple, something Tvedestrandsposten has written about. Here you can see how quickly the lupine has spread: – They create a good environment for themselves. So they take over and outcompete the plants that we want to have, says Mari Dørsdal, environmental advisor in Agder County Municipality. And because the flower outcompetes other natural plants, it is important that it does not spread further. – If mass movement or ditch cleaning is done, then we can spread it further. Has a lot of focus on avoiding, she says. Dørsdal says they have a lot of focus on not spreading the lupine further in new developments. Photo: Leif Dalen / news Hagelupine Characteristics Hagelupine is a perennial herb that is easy to spot with its blue, purple, pink or white flowers. It is about 1 meter high and has a straight stem that ends in a cluster of flowers. It also has 10–16 oblong pointed leaflets and has large, light hairy pods. Habitat Hagelupin is often found along the road, the railway, gravel roofs, or on poor mineral soil. Hagelupin lives in symbiosis with bacteria that can bind the nitrogen in the air. Foreign species because… Hagelupin comes from western North America, and was introduced to Europe in 1826 as an ornamental plant. In Norway, it remained “quiet” until 1980, and then it literally exploded! The plant was sown to stabilize soil masses along roads and railways, and traffic has helped spread the seeds. The plant has also spread out from many gardens and has established itself in edge zones, scrap yards and on many river banks, especially in central Norway. The nitrogen-fixing tubers of garden lupine contribute to changes in the nutritional status of other plants, displacing them. Source: The species data bank One becomes 800 Back on the E18 in Grimstad, researcher Malene Østreng Nygård shows us how quickly a lupine can spread. Because on one shoot of lupine there can be up to 80 flowers, and in total it can produce up to 800 seeds. – Normally, the seeds will just fall to the ground. But when they grow on roadsides, traffic will drag the seeds away. This allows it to spread over large distances. Photo: Yngve Tørrestad / news So is the battle lost? No, believes the researcher who says it is important to prevent the species from spreading further. – You can prevent it from condensing even more, and you can fight it. But it therefore requires a collective effort to do so, says Østreng Nygård. The scientist’s advice for getting rid of lupins Cut lupins: The easiest way to get rid of the blacklisted flower is to cut off the top, the part where the pods with seeds grow. This must be done regularly to ensure that it does not spread its seeds. If you cut off the top, it is important that you then throw it in the residual waste so that it is burned. Remove lupins: You can also try to remove lupins. One way to do that is to cut down the plants, all the green, several times throughout the season. Then you want to thin out the plant, and it may eventually give up. You can also try weeding, but then it is important that you repeat the process. If the root is left, a new plant will just grow up. The plants have most likely left many seeds over the years, and then there are many seeds left in the ground. Moving masses: If you are going to move a mass where lupines have grown, the masses must be treated. Because it can contain a lot of lupine seeds. (Source: Malene Østreng Nygård – researcher UIA Nature Museum and Botanical Garden) Went bananas in the 80s Back in the 1820s, the lupine was first welcomed to Europe, then as a beautiful garden plant, says Malene Østreng Nygård. It started as a garden plant in Norway too. It wasn’t until it was planted along roads and railways to stabilize soil masses that it first spread out into nature. – The first registrations are from the early 20th century. But it wasn’t until the 80s that a big ending happened. Then things went completely haywire, says Nygård. She says that the flower has now spread to all the counties in Norway. – Now it is said that the lupine has reached all the areas where it can grow. Published 22.06.2024, at 10.22 Updated 22.06.2024, at 15.25
ttn-69
Trying to crack down on lupines – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
