Weeds show ability to adapt fast in foreign environment

Some of the most common exotic plants in Britain have evolved rapidly to better suit the environment - whether that means becoming larger or smaller

Bristol City Council is attempting to use vinegar to kill weeds as an alternative to glyphosate herbicide. Whether the vinegar actually makes a good weedkiller is debatable, but it does make streets smell like a chip shop.

More worrying is how some of our commonest weeds are evolving rapidly to become tougher, larger and better adapted to their environment. An ingenious study looked at how old herbarium specimens of foreign plants brought to Britain long ago have changed by comparing them with today's living plants of the same species, and the results were astonishing.