#localised plant folklore is like

Paterson’s curse (viper’s bugloss)

Paterson’s curse is deeply invasive in Australia, sweeping across paddocks, native grasslands and urban areas in deep purple swathes, outcompeting native flora. The legend goes that Jane Paterson, an avid gardener, introduced this plant into her garden in the 1880s, and from there it spread like a curse upon the land. The true culprit was more likely that the plant was first introduced to Australia in the 1840s from mail order plant catalogs, and creeped out of gardens, becoming a well known weed in our landscapes.