[Herbalist] Re: Imported Species, Redux.

[Jenne Heise]

> >There go all the wonderful "native" English herbs - they were shipped to
> >England from the Mediterranean & Middle East.  According to that logic, ...
> The rosemary, creeping thyme, or banana trees are not crowding out any of
> the other native (or even other imported) species, nor do they proliferate
> unchecked.  They remain controlled, rather than expanding almost
> exponentially.

While rosemary and creeping thyme are not considered to be invasive enough
to cause conservationists to look at them askance, it's important to
realize that many European herbs have escaped into the wild and that some
herbs are actually on the 'dangerously invasive, do not plant' lists in
some states. Many of our common weeds such as dandelion, plantain, fat
hen, purslane and others are invasive newcomers from the old world. Mint
and other plants (the tansy in my garden comes from an original shoot dug
up by the side of the road in NY State) are so entrenched in the US that
many people think they are native.

--
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	      jenne at mail.browser.net
disclaimer: i speak for no-one and no-one speaks for me.
"It's a fact the whole world knows, that Pobbles are happier
without their toes." -- Edward Lear