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.