Chilean rhubarb  Gunnera tinctoria

Photo: RPS Group Plc

• Appearance: Perennial terrestrial plant, huge leathery leaves up to 2 m in height, leaf stalks have short pale spines.

• Growth: Fast-growing, forms dense stands. Spread through small fragments or seeds.

• Impact: Can dominate and outcompete native plants and can destroy habitats of high ecological importance

• Pathway: Originally a garden ornamental plant that has spread, been deliberately planted or escaped into the wild.

• Legal status: Species of special concern listed under the retained EU Regulation 1143/2014 and the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement & Permitting) Order 2019.

• Unless certain exemptions apply you must not:
  • keep them (unless already growing on your land or kept in a contained holding)
  • sell them to other people
  • use them or exchange them for goods
  • grow, cultivate or permit this plant to reproduce
  • release them into the environment
  • import them into the UK
  • transport them within the UK
  • export them to other countries

• What to do if you see Chilean rhubarb for sale or other offences being committed: Make a report by following the guidance here.

• What to do if you see this plant in the wild: Record it with a photograph (where possible).

• Make sure you don’t spread this plant: Check Clean Dry your boots and equipment and Be Plant Wise in your garden.

• Links to more: Species information and ID sheet.