Have you seen this plant? Bay of Plenty Regional Council is on the hunt for it.

'Of all the invasive weeds people have brought into their gardens over the years, wild kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum) is one of the worst,” reports Land Management Officer Tim Senior.

'As with most such weeds, it was widely planted in gardens because of its pretty flower and pleasant scent. It's flowering right now with its large yellow flower heads spiked with red stamens.”

Tim says the rules of the Regional Pest Management Plan require landowners to destroy this plant if it's found on their land. Depending on where it's growing and how much there is, this can often be a difficult task but the Regional Council staff are sometimes able to assist landowners meet their obligations.

Wild ginger loves our coastal forest areas, growing happily in the deep shade of our native bush, originally having made its way here from the subtropical lower slopes of the Himalayas. The broad lily like leaves grow from tubers just under the soil surface.

After flowering, the seed is spread quickly around by birds, from gardens into the bush. Once established, it forms a dense, impenetrable mass of tubers and foliage, choking out any other plants until it's the only plant remaining.

'Without seedlings to replace old trees as they die, the forest may completely collapse over time,” reports Tim. 'There are places overseas where this has already happened, resulting in hills covered in nothing but wild ginger.

'We know of many places (around the Bay of Plenty) where ginger's growing but we don't know them all, so if you have ginger growing at your place or if you know of any ginger infestations, please let me know.”

Already infestations of wild ginger have been reported growing in the Minden Reserve and on a bank above the Daisy Hardwick walkway.

To report wild ginger growing, contact the Eastern Land Resources team at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council on 0800 884 881 ext 6010 or email info@boprc.govt.nz