Casuarina equisetifolia

Mature Casuarinas can reach 150 ft or 46 m in height.

Casuarina stand, Coopers Island

Stands of Casuarinas were planted after the Cedar Blight in the 1940's.

Casuarina Flowers

Casuarina equisetifolia has both male flowers (brown) and female flowers (pink) on the same tree. 

unripe Casuarina fruit

The cone-like fruit break open when ripe releasing seeds.

Casuarina seeds

A Casuarina cone releasing its winged seeds into the wind

Casuarina leaf litter

A layer of fallen 'needles' collects below a Casuarina tree. This, combined with the shade from the tree prevents other plants from growing nearby.

Casuarina forest

Forests made up only of Casuarina can be seen on many of Bermuda's small islands, like this one at Daniel's Head.

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uprooted Casuarina

The roots of the Casuarina are shallow for a tree this tall, therefore they are likely to blow down in storms.

Insect Damage

Indian Laurels are often damaged by insects, causing the leaves to curl.

Indian Laurel, Botanical Gardens

A fully grown Indian Laurel can reach 60 ft (18 m) tall.

Indian Laurel fruit

The Indian Laurel is in the Fig Family and produces fig-like fruit which contains about 150 seeds. A single tree may produce 100,000 fruit which are eaten by birds.

Indian Laurel on Cedar

Indian Laurels are also known as 'strangling figs' for their ability to grow on other trees, like this Bermuda Cedar on Parsons Lane.

Indian Laurel on Cedar, Rockaway

The Indian Laurel grows until it kills the host tree, either by shading it or pulling the host over with the weight of the attached Laurel. Here an Indian Laurel (centre) is growing on a Bermuda Cedar (top).

Indian Laurel seedling in Cedar

Indian Laurel seedlings, like this one in a Bermuda Cedar, should be removed as soon as possible before they damage the host tree.

Indian Laurel threatening endemic ferns

Indian Laurel (left) competes for space on rock walls with endangered ferns like this endemic Maidenhair fern (right)

Indian Laurel in Roof

Indian Laurels can grow in cracks in walls, roofs and foundations. The roots enlarge the cracks and can cause serious damage to buildings.

Indian Laurel growing in wall

Indian Laurels often grow out of walls where the roots expand cracks and may make walls unstable.

Brazil Pepper leaves

Brazil Pepper is native to Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. This plant is often called 'Mexican Pepper' in Bermuda.

Brazil Pepper Tree

Brazil Pepper trees can reach 43 ft (13 m) when fully grown, like this one in a garden in Pembroke.

Brazil Pepper leaves

Brazil Pepper on Bermuda Palmetto

Brazil Pepper will grow in the crevices of other trees, like this endemic Palmetto

Brazil Pepper spring flowers

Brazil Pepper trees flower from August to October. Some, like this one in Somerset, flower again from March to May.

Brazil Pepper flowers

The pollen of Brazil Pepper is an important resource for local honey bees, but is also a respiratory irritant especially for people with asthma.

Ripening Brazil Pepper berries

Brazil Pepper flowers are followed by thousands of small green berries which become bright red when ripe. Each berry contains a single seed, which are spread island-wide in bird droppings.

Brazil Pepper berries

Only female Brazil Pepper trees produce berries, which ripen from November to February. The ripe fruit of the Brazil Pepper is a popular Christmas decoration in Bermuda. 

Pepper thicket Hog Bay Park

Brazil Pepper forms dense thickets that exclude native plants.

Brazil Pepper, Spittal Pond Nature Reserve

Brazil Pepper thickets do provide shelter for songbirds in nature reserves where they have displaced the native forest.

Chinese Fan Palm

Invasive Chinese Fan Palms resemble our endemic Bermuda Palmetto.

Chinese Fan Palm leaf stem

The leafstem of the Chinese Fan Palm joins the leaf in a 'C-shape' when viewed from above (ie the top of the leaf). This is the key difference from the Bermuda Palmetto.

Chinese Fan Palm

Chinese Fan Palm leaves resemble bright green fans

Chinese Fan Palm thorns

Most, but not all Chinese Fan Palms have thorns on the leaf stem.

Chinese Fan Palm fruit

Chinese Fan Palm berries are blue-green and oblong, and occur on yellow stems. They are hard, with a large seed so are not as good a food source for wildlife as the fleshy berries of the Bermuda Palmetto.

Chinese Fan Palm forest

Chinese Fan Palms crowd out other plants to form palm forests, like this one opposite St. Patrick's Church.

Fan Palm Stump

After cutting down a Chinese Fan Palm, the centre of the stump should be damaged with a saw to prevent re-growth.

Asparagus Fern

There are several types of wild asparagus in Bermuda, Asparagus Fern is the most common.

Asparagus Fern, Hog Bay

Asparagus Fern covering a hillside in Hog Bay Park. This invasive grows densly along the ground and crowds out other plants.

Surinam Cherry leaves

The leaves are copper coloured when they are new and turn dark green as they mature.

Surinam Cherry leaves

The leaves of the Surinam Cherry resemble the native White Stopper, however the leaves of the cherry are glossy, while the stopper is not.

Surinam Cherry Flowers

In Bermuda Surinam Cherry flowers in March and April.

Surinam Cherries

In Bermuda Surinam Cherry has fruit between April and early June. Some trees fruit again in the autumn.

Surinam Cherry Fruit

Each cherry contains a single large seed

Surinam Cherry Hedge

Surinam Cherry is frequently used in Bermuda for hedges in gardens

Invasive cherry forest

Surinam Cherry forms a dense forest in the Blue Hole Park where it excludes almost all other trees.

Surinam Cherry seedlings

Surinam Cherry germinates easily from fallen fruit and forms dense thickets, like this one at Blue Hole.

Wedelia or Seaside Creeping Daisy

Seaside Creeping Daisy (Wedelia trilobata) is an invasive ground covering vine. It is found particularly on the South Shore.

Wedelia

Wedelia grows in dense mats that smother and kill native plants and prevent new plants from taking root.

Lab Lab vine

Lab Lab is an invasive vine with a three part leaf, white flowers and bean-like seed pods. It is found in pockets around Bermuda.

Kiskadee

The Kiskadee was introduced as a biological control for the anole lizard. It also eats fruit and is responsible for spreading the seeds of some invasive plants.

Red-eared Slider

The Red-eared Slider has invaded most of Bermuda's freshwater and brackish ponds. They are frequently dumped there by irresponsible pet owners.

Red-eared Sliders

Red-eared sliders upset pond ecology by eating fish and invertebrates and destroying birds nests.

Marine or Cane Toad

The marine toad is one of the worst invasive species in places like Australia, but although common in Bermuda they are not a serious threat to native wildlife.

Pigeons

Pigeons are common in urban parts of Bermuda, as well as along the South Shore cliffs where they compete for nesting cavities with the native Longtail.

Flock of Pigeons

Flocks of Pigeons can be seen along the South Shore and are also found around diary farms, like this one at Spittal Pond, where they eat the feed put out for the cows.

Lionfish

Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific. The first one was recorded in Bermuda in 2000.

Rats

Rats impact endemic plant populations by eating the fruit and seeds, like this one eating the fruit of a Bermuda Palmetto.

starling

Starlings were introduced to North America from Europe. In Bermuda they are responsible for spreading the seeds of many invasive plants. They are also a nuisance because they build nests in walls and buildings.

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