Hardware store caught selling a declared weed as a cute garden plant

Imagine buying up a bunch of good-looking plants from you local home and garden centre, only to discover three days later that they were damaging weeds.

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Well Australia's Bunnings Warehouse has been left red-faced after they were caught selling a fast-spreading weed as a fancy potted plant.

The plant in question, Sagittaria (not to be confused with the courageous but impatient Sagittarius) was incorrectly labelled as a "Melon Sword" by the Northern Territory superstore.

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Regional weeds officer Roni Opden told news.com.authat the plant causes significant problems to irrigation channels in the area as it manifests and thrives in and around water. "Severe infestations also restrict flows in wetlands and natural waterways, adversely affecting biodiversity and impacting on recreational activities" she said.

Not a weed.Credit: Getty ImagesWeed.Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Chief operating officer for Bunnings, Clive Duncan responded to the incident in a statement reported by the ABCsaying "As soon as it was brought to our attention, we moved swiftly to immediately isolate the plants from sale and notified the supplier of the labelling error."

The incident is currently under investigation. In the meantime, plastic plants FTW?