The invasive plant 'Valentine' is once again making inroads into vegetation across the country, posing a threat to plant life, environment lawyer Jagath Gunawardana said.

The Valantine plant, known outside Sri Lanka by names ,such as, the Starburst and Philippine Fireworks blooms every year. It derives its name due to the fact that flowering peaks during mid-February, he said.

It commenced blooming from late December during the preceding five years, but it started blooming this year only towards the end of January.

It is not known what factors caused the delay this year.

Gunawardana said that in 2007 the Biodiversity Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources created an awareness campaign about this plant.

"This was done on Velantine's Day to create an awareness among the public about the potential problems caused by this plant.

"It was a big success and many people have now spotted the danger of this invasive plant", he said.

Courtesy: DailyNews

Posted on Friday, February 03, 2012 @ 11:52:20 LKT by SaNDuN

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