Brambles are a problem weed in South Africa but researchers are closer to finding a natural enemy to manage them

By Grant Martin, Associate Professor; Deputy Director of the Centre for Biological Control, Rhodes University, Rhodes University

Invasive alien brambles have been spreading across South Africa since the early 1900s, having come from North America and Europe. All brambles fall within the genus Rubus. Their common names in South Africa are braam (Afrikaans), ijingijolo (isiZulu) and monoko-metsi (seSotho).

Over the decades, these plants have crept into tree plantations, pastures and native grasslands. Dense, thorny thickets now choke open spaces, and impede livestock and wildlife movement. They restrict access to water, smother young trees used for timber, interfere with plantation…

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