A flower shop assistant shows a bunch of solidago canlarge which is banned as a harmful plant by the State Forestry Bureau in April. [Information Times]

Solidago, or solidago canlarge, is a North American goldenrod with showy clusters of yellow flowers on arching branches, and is popular at flower markets in the Pearl River Delta. It was listed as a harmful plant by the State Forestry Bureau in April.

The beautiful flower, which has numerous leaves up its multiple stems, is actually a noxious weed. The widespread North American plant has a strong reproductive capacity.

The shrub damages the ecological system on the hills and wetland and can kill weeds or crops nearby or interbreed with other plants, destroying the diversity of species.

Introduced into China as an ornamental flower, solidago covers more than 200,000 mu (133 square kilometers) in the Yangtze River Delta. More than 30 native plants have died out as a result of the widespread of solidago in Shanghai alone.

The provincial forestry bureau has asked local forestry officials to stop issuing quarantine certificates for solidago, banning the transport and flow of the plant in the province to avoid damaging forest and field environment.

Experts have suggested wrapping solidago in plastic or paper bags before throwing it away as the seeds can drift on the wind and grow quickly if landing on favorable soil, posing a threat to other plant species.