Weeds Australia - Weed Identification

Weed Identification

Australia > > Common Name

Common Name

Scientific Name

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

THIS PLANT IS ON THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT LIST
http://www.weeds.gov.au/weeds/lists/alert.html

Alternative Name(s): Alternative Name

Family: Family

Form:

Origin: Origin

Weed Type(s): Weed Type

Flowers/Seedhead: Flowers/Seedhead

Description: Description

Distinguishing features: Distinguishing features

Dispersal: Dispersal

Confused With: Confused With

Notes: Notes

References:

References

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card Card Number

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Common Name

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - African tulip

Weed Identification

Australia > > African tulip

African tulip

Spathodea campanulata

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Bignoniaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to tropical West Africa

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: A tree up to 20m tall with an open crown and dense dark green foliage. When mature the trunk develops characteristic buttresses. Leaves are composed of several dark green leaflets which are pale on the underside. Tight clusters of downy buds open to reveal brilliant flame-scarlet cup-shaped blooms. The woody fruit is poisonous.

African tulip is grown widely in tropical and sub-tropical areas for its spectacular flowers.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Royal Horticultural Society (1992). Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London.
Miller, H. and Ratcliffe, R. (1990). Top Plants for Tropical Gardens. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

photo C. Wilson

This weed has been included in the 'Jumping the Garden Fence' report (WWF-Australia PDF - 1.19mb) which examines the impact of invasive garden plants on Australian agricultural land and natural ecosystems.

Australia > > African tulip

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Aleppo pine

Weed Identification

Australia > > Aleppo pine

Aleppo pine

Pinus halepensis

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Pinaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to countries bordering the Mediterranean

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Notes: Aleppo pine is a spreading evergreen tree up to 20m tall with silvery grey bark. The relatively short trunk forms many branches. Abundant woody cones release large numbers of windblown seeds which may spread long distances.

Aleppo pine is the tree of Gallipoli known as Lone Pine. It has been widely planted in parks and cemeteries as a shade tree in Victoria and South Australia. It was a common tree in Victorian nursery catalogues in the mid to late 19th century. It is drought-hardy and grows well on limestone soils. It has become naturalised in Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. It is also a weed in the Cape region of South Africa and on both the north and south islands of New Zealand.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Brookes, M. and Barley, R. (1992). Plants Listed in Nursery Catalogues in Victoria 1855 - 1889. Ornamental Plants Collections Association, Melbourne.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Aleppo pine

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - American cotton palm

Weed Identification

Australia > > American cotton palm

American cotton palm

Washingtonia filifera

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Arecaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to south-western North America

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Notes: American cotton palm is a tall distinctive palm growing to 16m tall. It has a fat grey trunk and spreading crown of grey-green fan shaped leaves. It is highly adaptable, growing in a range of climates and soil types and drought tolerant when fully established.

Planted as a street and park tree, it fruits readily and seeds germinate well.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Parker, J. and Malone, M. eds. (2003). Gardening Australia: Flora: the gardener's bible over 20,000 plants. ABC Books, Sydney.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > American cotton palm

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Banana passion fruit

Weed Identification

Australia > > Banana passion fruit

Banana passion fruit

Passiflora tarminiana = Passiflora mollisima

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Banana poka, Pink banana passionfruit

Family: Passifloraceae

Form: Vine

Origin: Native to tropical South America

Weed Type(s): Weed, Quarantine Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Notes: Banana passionfruit is a vigorous evergreen climber which grows up to 20m scrambling over buildings, fences and smothering other vegetation. Leaves are alternate, three lobed and dark green. Spiral tendrils emerge from the leaf axils.

The drooping pink flowers are borne singly. Fruit is an oblong berry initially green but ripening to yellow containing sweet pulp and up to 200 seeds.

Banana passionfruit spreads vegetatively and by seed dispersed by birds, pigs and foxes which have eaten the fruit. It is naturalised and becoming an increasing problem near Melbourne and Sydney where it invades sheltered damp areas in bushland and forest. It is widely available in nurseries and markets.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley, Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Banana passion fruit

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Black flag

Weed Identification

Australia > > Black flag

Black flag

Ferraria crispa

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Iridaceae

Form: Herb

Origin: Native to South Africa

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: Black flag is a small perennial herb with flowering stems up to 450mm tall. It has been in cultivation for over 300 years and is grown for its brown to yellow mottled flowers with waved edges to the petals. It is propagated from seed or divisions.

Flag lily occurs in coastal heath, Tuart, Agonis and Banksia woodland from Perth to Cape Riche. It is often found growing in clumps and readily recognised by its succulent foliage even when not in flower.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Royal Horticultural Society (1992). Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London.
Keighery, G. J. (1994). An Annotated List of the Naturalised Vascular Plants of Western Australia. In (Burke, G. ed) Invasive Weeds and Regenerating Ecosystems in Western Australia, 1995 Conference Proceedings. Institute for Science and Technology Policy, Murdoch University, Perth.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Black flag

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Black locust

Weed Identification

Australia > > Black locust

Black locust

Robinia pseudoacacia

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): False acacia, Locust tree, Yellow locust, Robinia

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Origin: Native to North America

Weed Type(s): Weed, Sleeper Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Introduced garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape, Alien Escape

Notes: Robinia is a small genus of about twenty species of trees and large shrubs usually with spines on the branches. Leaves have many leaflets giving a fine tracery when viewed upwards. Sweetly perfumed, white pea-like flowers borne in tresses are followed by small brown pods with several seeds.

Black locust produces root suckers when the roots are disturbed and dense clumps may develop crowding out other plants. It was often planted around homesteads and stockyards and sometimes the dense thicket is the living reminder of former farming ventures.

Although native to North America it has become naturalised in Europe forming thickets in disturbed land along roadsides and railways and reducing the view of the surrounding countryside for travellers. It has transformed grassland into open woodland in parts of Germany.

The characteristics which make it weedy have been used to advantage in erosion control work in Hungary. The roots also fix nitrogen in the soil.

Black locust is naturalised in WA, SA, Victoria, NSW and Queensland. It was sometimes planted in Canberra last century as a street tree and is a scattered weed in the ACT. It is still available in nurseries although 'mop top' cultivars are now more popular for small gardens. It is still used as the rootstock however and the problem of suckering has been reduced but not solved.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Royal Horticultural Society (1992). Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley Victoria.
Berry, S and Mulvaney, M. (1995). An Environmental Weed Survey of the Australian Capital Territory. Report prepared for the Conservation Council of the South-east Region and Canberra, Conservation Council of the South-east Region and Canberra, Canberra.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Black locust

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Blue psoralea

Weed Identification

Australia > > Blue psoralea

Blue psoralea

Psoralea pinnata

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Shrub

Origin: Native to South Africa

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Notes: Blue psoralea is an evergreen shrub growing to about 5m tall. It has soft green pine-like leaves 30-50mm long. Flowers are purple with white wings and pea-like, often in dense clusters. These are followed by small pods each with a single dark brown seed.

The purple flowers and fast growth make it popular in home gardens. However hardiness and prolific seed production aid in its naturalisation and invasion of most vegetation types. Mass germination occurs after fire. It has many of the invasive characteristics of broom.

It is recorded as a weed in all states and commonly available in nurseries.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley ,Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Australia > > Blue psoralea

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Cape Leeuwin wattle

Weed Identification

Australia > > Cape Leeuwin wattle

Cape Leeuwin wattle

Paraserianthes lophantha subsp. lophantha formerly Albizia lophantha

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Stinkbean, Brush wattle, Cape wattle, Plume albizia

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Origin: Native to Western Australia

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Native Weed, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Notes: Cape Leeuwin wattle forms a dense evergreen shrub or small tree to 8m in height. It has lacy leaves and yellow flowers followed by pea-like seed pods.

It is recorded as weedy in South Africa, Canary Islands and Chile. It is naturalised in SA, Victoria and NSW in most types of native vegetation. The seeds lie dormant for many years but germinate rapidly after fire.

Baron Ferdinand von Mueller gave packets of seed to early explorers suggesting they plant some at each campsite so that later the bright green foliage would provide a marker of the route travelled.

Cape Leeuwin wattle is widely available from nurseries. There are many local wattles which can be used as substitutes.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley, Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Cape Leeuwin wattle

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Clumping fishtail palm

Weed Identification

Australia > > Clumping fishtail palm

Clumping fishtail palm

Caryotis mitis

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Arecaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native from India to the Philippines and the island of Java in Indonesia

Weed Type(s): Weed, Sleeper Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Notes: A long-lived palm which grows to 5m tall outdoors but is shorter when grown as an indoor plant. It is distinguished by the leaflets which have a characteristic fishtail shape.

The flowers are cream and produce abundant seeds containing stinging crystals of oxalic acid which are toxic when eaten. Contact with the skin may result in severe chemical burns.

The seeds are spread by birds. Fishtail palm forms dense clumps from suckers in rainforest and vine thickets suppressing native vegetation. It is also spread by humans and is available in nurseries.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Smith, N.M.(2003). Weeds of the Wet/Dry tropics of Australia. Environment Centre of the Northern Territory, Darwin.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Clumping fishtail palm

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Coastal tea tree

Weed Identification

Australia > > Coastal tea tree

Coastal tea tree

Leptospermum laevigatum

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Australian myrtle, Victorian tea tree

Family: Myrtaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Origin: Native to coastal areas of NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Native Weed, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Notes: Coastal tea tree is a tall shrub or small tree to 5m. It is tolerant of salt spray and has been used as a windbreak or hedging plant and for soil erosion control.

It is widely naturalised outside its natural range in north-east NSW and South-east Queensland where it competes effectively with native vegetation. In Western Australia it was introduced after sand mining and has now become naturalised. It has spread rapidly along road verges between Jurien Bay and Albany invading coastal heath and woodlands on sandy and lateritic soils. It has abundant white flowers 15-20 mm across which develop into woody capsules which subsequently open to shed large numbers of seeds.

It is a weed in South Africa.

Pink tea tree, Leptospermum erubescens, is recommended as a substitute for Coastal tea tree.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Wrigley, J. W. and Fagg, M. (2003). Australian Native Plants. Reed New Holland, Sydney.
Hussey, B. M. J., Keighery, G. J., Cousens, R. D., Dodd, J., and Lloyd, S. G. (1997). Western Weeds. Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Perth.
Keighery, G. J. (1994). An Annotated List of the Naturalised Vascular Plants of Western Australia. In (Burke, G. ed) Invasive Weeds and Regenerating Ecosystems in Western Australia, 1995 Conference Proceedings. Institute for Science and Technology Policy, Murdoch University, Perth.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Coastal tea tree

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Coreopsis

Weed Identification

Australia > > Coreopsis

Coreopsis

Coreopsis lanceolata

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Asteraceae

Form: Herb

Origin: Native to central and south-east United States of America

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Native Weed, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Photo: G. Batianoff

Notes: Coreopsis is a large genus of about 80 species of annual or perennial herbs. Sometimes called Tickseed in reference to the appearance of the seeds which are wind-dispersed. Coreopsis lanceolata is an erect annual or short-lived perennial forming a clump of dark green, deeply-lobed leaves up to 1m tall. Flowers are yellow on long leafless stalks.

It is a weed of agricultural and wasteland in South Africa. In Western Australia it is a garden escape along the roadside between Perth and Albany and it is known in the Blue Mountains in NSW. In Queensland it was first recorded as naturalised in Kingaroy in 1944 and is currently spreading as a roadside weed from Tin Can Bay to the NSW border. It is also abundant in the Stanthorpe district and has the potential to become a major ground cover weed in forested areas in coastal and sub-coastal districts of Queensland and NSW.

Three cultivars are promoted in Flora (2003).

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Hussey, B. M. J., Keighery, G. J., Cousens, R. D., Dodd, J., and lloyd, S. G. (1997). Western Weeds. Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Perth.
Parker, J. and Malone, M. eds. (2003). Gardening Australia: Flora: the gardener's bible over 20,000 plants. ABC Books, Sydney.
Batianoff, G. N. (2004). Personal communication.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Coreopsis

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Couch grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Couch grass

Couch grass

Cynodon dactylon

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Bermuda grass, Devil's grass, Florida grass, Twitch grass

Family: Poaceae

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to tropical Africa, Australia

Weed Type(s): Weed, Sleeper Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Casual Alien

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: Couch grass is a low-growing perennial with grey-green leaves and runners which root readily. It spreads rapidly by seed and runners and even small fragments will root if dumped with garden refuse.

It is regarded as an Australian native and is widely planted as a lawn grass. It occurs in all states and territories. It invades wetlands and river edges in southern Western Australia.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Hussey, B. M. J., Keighery, G. J., Cousens, R. D., Dodd, J., and Lloyd, S. G. (1997). Western Weeds. Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Perth.
Berry, S and Mulvaney, M. (1995). An Environmental Weed Survey of the Australian Capital Territory. Report prepared for the Conservation Council of the South-east Region and Canberra, Conservation Council of the South-east Region and Canberra, Canberra.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

photos C. Wilson

Australia > > Couch grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Desert ash

Weed Identification

Australia > > Desert ash

Desert ash

Fraxinus angustifolia subsp. angustifolia

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Formerly known botanically as Fraxinus oxycarpa.

Family: Oleaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to Western Mediterranean and Portugal

Weed Type(s): Naturalised, Environmental Weed

Notes: Desert ash is a spreading deciduous tree growing to a height of 10-12 m. Leaves consist of seven leaflets with toothed margins. Inconspicuous flowers appear in winter when the tree is bare. Flowers are wind-pollinated. Seeds are winged which aids dispersal by wind. Desert ash will also spread from root suckers.

Desert ash has been widely used as a street and park tree in South Australia and the ACT where it has become naturalised. It is also naturalised in NSW and Victoria, invading riparian systems, lowland grassland and grassy woodland.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Spencer, R. (2002). Horticultural Flora of South-Eastern Australia Vol 4. University of New South Wales Press, Sydney.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Desert ash

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Fountain grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Fountain grass

Fountain grass

Pennisetum setaceum

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Tender fountain grass, African fountain grass

Family: Poaceae

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to north east Africa

Weed Type(s): Weed, Quarantine Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Photo: G. Batianoff

Notes: Fountain grass is a densely tufted perennial growing to 900mm. The flowerhead is a long feathery spike which makes it attractive for garden cultivation. It spreads by seed, transported by wind and water or carried on clothing and in dumped garden waste.

It has been listed as a weed in Hawaii, the United States and South Africa. It is banned in New Zealand. It has become naturalised in the Northern Territory, Queensland, NSW, Western Australia and South Australia particularly on Eyre Peninsula. It is still sold as an ornamental.

References:

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

photo R. Cousens

Australia > > Fountain grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Freesia

Weed Identification

Australia > > Freesia

Freesia

Freesia alba x leichtlinii

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Iridaceae

Form: Herb

Origin: This is a hybrid raised in Italy from parents which originated in winter rainfall regions of South Africa.

Weed Type(s): Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Notes: Freesias are small perennial herbs with leaves arranged in a fan-like iris. They range in height from 100 to 300mm. The flowers may be single or double and scarcely to sweetly scented.

Although species of Freesia were cultivated in Europe in the mid 18th century, selective hybridisation did not start until the late 19th century. They are now grown in large numbers for the florist trade.

They are propagated from seed or bulb-like corms and may be grown in the garden or indoors in pots. After potted plants flower and die back they may sometimes be dumped with other garden refuse which aids their spread.

Freesia is a serious weed of coastal heath, Wandoo and Tuart woodland, granite rocks, from Gingin to Israelite Bay.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Royal Horticultural Society (1992). Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London.
Hussey, B. M. J., Keighery, G. J., Cousens, R. D., Dodd, J., and Lloyd, S. G. (1997). Western Weeds. Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Perth.
Keighery, G. J. (1994). An Annotated List of the Naturalised Vascular Plants of Western Australia. In (Burke, G. ed) Invasive Weeds and Regenerating Ecosystems in Western Australia, 1995 Conference Proceedings. Institute for Science and Technology Policy, Murdoch University, Perth.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Freesia

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Gazania

Weed Identification

Australia > > Gazania

Gazania

Gazania linearis

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Asteraceae

Form: Herb

Origin: Native to South Africa.

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

photo R. Boden

Notes: Many hybrids have been developed in cultivation which makes identification difficult.

Gazania is a tough, low-growing perennial herb with lance-shaped leaves and brightly coloured daisy-like flowers in bronze, yellow and orange tones. It produces abundant wind-blown seeds and spreads rapidly. It withstands salt-laden winds and grows well in sandy soils. It is often spread in garden waste.

Gazania is widespread and common in Victoria and naturalised in South Australia and Western Australia.

The related Coastal gazania, Gazania rigens, has become naturalised on coastal dunes and along roadsides from southern Sydney to the central coast, on the Eyre Peninsula and southern Mt Lofty region of South Australia and in the Moreton region of South-east Queensland.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Royal Horticultural Society (1992). Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Australia > > Gazania

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Golden shower

Weed Identification

Australia > > Golden shower

Golden shower

Cassia fistula

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to south-east Asia

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Photo: G. Batianoff

Notes: Golden shower is a semi-deciduous tree up to 8m tall and of similar width. It has large leaves up to 450mm long with many leaflets. Sweetly perfumed flowers are pea-shaped and borne in large golden sprays. Flowers develop into brown seed pods.

It is commonly used as a garden plant in Darwin and Katherine but rarely survives more than 15 years due to borers. It is spread by seeds which are produced prolifically. In Western Australia it has escaped on Koolan Island and in the King Leopold Range.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Hussey, B. M. J., Keighery, G. J., Cousens, R. D., Dodd, J., and Lloyd, S. G. (1997). Western Weeds. Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Perth.
Parker, J. and Malone, M. eds. (2003). Gardening Australia: Flora: the gardener's bible over 20,000 plants. ABC Books, Sydney.
Miller, H. and Ratcliffe, R. (1990). Top Plants for Tropical Gardens. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Golden shower

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Golden wreath wattle

Weed Identification

Australia > > Golden wreath wattle

Golden wreath wattle

Acacia saligna

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Blue leaved wattle, Orange wattle

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Shrub

Origin: Native to the south west corner of Western Australia, mainly in coastal areas.

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Native Weed, Introduced, garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Notes: Golden wreath wattle is a medium-sized shrub up to 10m tall and 6m wide. The pendulous branches are often blue-grey in colour when young. Bright golden flowers borne profusely in spring develop into smooth brown pods.

It is fast-growing and widely used in parks and for erosion control. It was the main source of tanbark in the south west of Western Australia. It regenerates well from seed spreading rapidly.

It is a major weed in South Africa where it has been used to stabilise sand dunes. It has become a weed in eastern NSW and has been planted as a 'native' in South Australia where it is invading bushland. Locally native wattles should be planted instead of Golden wreath wattle.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Wrigley, J. W. and Fagg, M. (2003). Australian Native Plants. Reed New Holland, Sydney.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Golden wreath wattle

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Guava

Weed Identification

Australia > > Guava

Guava

Psidium guajava and P. guineense

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Myrtaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Origin: P. guajava is native to tropical America. P. guineense is native to Brazil

Weed Type(s): Weed, Sleeper Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Photo: G. Batianoff

Notes: Psidium is a genus of about 100 species of evergreen shrubs and trees with opposite light to mid-green oval leaves with prominent veins. The large white flowers usually open in the early morning and appear adapted for both wind and insect pollination. The seeds of the fleshy fruits are dispersed by birds, mammals, domestic livestock and humans.

P. guajava is a weed in Fiji, Hawaii, Mexico and West Polynesia. It is listed as the third most prominent invasive alien species along roadsides and water crossings in South Africa.

Guava was first recorded as naturalised in Mackay, Central Queensland in 1887. It is now widely naturalised in coastal areas of North and Central Queensland and is also common in South-east Queensland. It is host to the papaya fruit fly in northern Queensland. It is also in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Guava fruit are used commercially for jams and juices so the plants are commercially available.

References:

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Guava

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Himalayan raintree

Weed Identification

Australia > > Himalayan raintree

Himalayan raintree

Dalbergia sissoo

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to India

Weed Type(s): Weed, Quarantine Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: Himalayan rain tree is a tall deciduous tree growing up to 20m. The leaves consist of 3-7 rounded leaflets. It has cream pea-shaped flowers which develop into pods up to 200mm long. It has a long taproot and numerous surface roots which produce suckers.

Himalayan rain tree spreads mainly by vigorous suckers.

It is naturalised in Queensland and is declared noxious in the Northern Territory where it has naturalised around Darwin. It occurs on sands and gravel watercourses in other parts of the Territory.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Parsons, W. T. and Cuthbertson, E. G. (2001). Noxious Weeds of Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

photos C. Wilson

Australia > > Himalayan raintree

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Holly

Weed Identification

Australia > > Holly

Holly

Ilex aquifolium

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Aquifoliaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Origin: Native to south and west Europe, west Asia and North Africa.

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Quarantine Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Notes: Holly is an upright evergreen shrub or small tree growing to 15m tall. It has dark green, prickly leaves and small off-white flowers borne in the axils of the leaves. In most cases male and female flowers are borne on different trees. Female flowers develop into rounded glistening dark red berries which in the northern hemisphere appear in October November and are traditionally associated with Christmas. In Australia they appear in autumn.

The berries are eaten by birds which disperse the seeds into bushland. Damage to roots may stimulate suckering and lower branches may root where they touch the ground, forming dense clumps.

Holly is naturalised in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, usually in wet forest where it is a serious threat to native species. It is still sold from many nurseries.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley ,Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Holly

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Hybrid mother of millions

Weed Identification

Australia > > Hybrid mother of millions

Hybrid mother of millions

Bryophyllum daigremontianum x B. tubiflorum = Bryophyllum daigremontianum x B. delagoense cv. 'Houghtonii'

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Crassulaceae

Form: Herb

Origin: Horticultural origin

Weed Type(s): Naturalised

photo J.R.Hosking

Notes: Bryophyllums are succulent perennial herbs with fleshy mottled stems and leaves. Flowers are orange, yellow or red on stalks held above the foliage. Plants may form on the parent plant or regrowth may occur from tiny leaves or stems on the ground.

This plant is spread by plantlets carried by water in streams and rivers and by plantlets attached to animals and in mud. Virtually no seed is produced.

It is widespread in south-east Queensland but not as common as B. delagoense. It is locally common in northern NSW where it grows near houses or where dumped as garden waste. It is also spreading along watercourses. Plants, particularly the flowers, are poisonous to stock.

This plant may be sold under the former name of Kalanchoe.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Everist, S. L. (1981). Poisonous Plants of Australia. Angus & Robertson Publishers, Sydney.
Parker, J. and Malone, M. eds. (2003). Gardening Australia: Flora: the gardener's bible over 20,000 plants. ABC Books, Sydney.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Hybrid mother of millions

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Kikuyu grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Kikuyu grass

Kikuyu grass

Pennisetum clandestinum

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to tropical east Africa

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Notes: Kikuyu is a perennial ground-hugging grass which spreads by runners. It is cultivated for pastures, lawns and playing fields and is a common weed of gardens and roadsides.

It is recognised as a weed in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. It is not known to produce viable seeds in South Australia but persists and spreads from deliberate plantings and sites where garden waste is dumped.

It was used for erosion control on Montague Island off the south coast of NSW but became so dense that it impeded nesting and access to burrows of the Little penguin (Eudyptula minor). The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has initiated a major control program.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Kikuyu grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Lead tree

Weed Identification

Australia > > Lead tree

Lead tree

Leucaena leucocephala ssp. glabrata

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Coffee bush

Family: Mimosaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to Mexico

Weed Type(s): Naturalised

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: Lead tree grows to about 6m and has been planted extensively throughout the tropical world to provide cattle fodder, shade and firewood. It has leaves composed of many leaflets, creamy-yellow rounded flowers and flattened seed pods. Propagation is from seed.

It is valued as a high protein tree in the Northern Territory where it is grown for use in feedlots. It has become naturalised across northern Australia from the Kimberley to coastal Queensland. In the west it extends south from the Pilbara to Exmouth and in the east to northern NSW.

It has formed dense thickets along some creek lines in North Queensland and may have suppressed regeneration of native species.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Hussey, B. M. J., Keighery, G. J., Cousens, R. D., Dodd, J., and Lloyd, S. G. (1997). Western Weeds. Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Perth.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

photos C. Wilson

Australia > > Lead tree

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Lombardy poplar

Weed Identification

Australia > > Lombardy poplar

Lombardy poplar

Populus nigra cv. 'Italica'

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Salicaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to Italy

Weed Type(s): Naturalised, Environmental Weed

Notes: Lombardy poplar is an upright form of Populus nigra growing to 25 m in height. It has triangular-shaped dark green leaves which turn a brilliant yellow in late autumn. Poplars have separate male and female trees and the ones first introduced to the ACT were male. They do not produce seed but reproduce by suckers which can form dense copses.

Lombardy poplar has been widely planted as an ornamental tree in moist sites and beside streams in the ACT. The most significant planting of four trees is in the courtyards of the Senate and the House of Representatives in Old Parliament House. The trees were planted in 1926 but replaced with young trees of the same stock in the late 1900s when the original trees became unsafe.

Lombardy poplar is a weed in South Africa and has formed dense suckering stands in wetlands near Perth. It is one of 49 non-native naturalised species in the Australian flora having a direct impact on rare and threatened species.

It is available in nurseries.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Berry, S and Mulvaney, M. (1995). An Environmental Weed Survey of the Australian Capital Territory. Report prepared for the Conservation Council of the South-east Region and Canberra, Conservation Council of the South-east Region and Canberra, Canberra.
Groves, R. H. et al. (2003). Weed Categories for Natural and Agricultural Ecosystem Management. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Lombardy poplar

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Looking glass bush

Weed Identification

Australia > > Looking glass bush

Looking glass bush

Coprosma repens

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Mirror bush, Creeping mirror plant, New Zealand mirror bush

Family: Rubiaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Origin: Native to New Zealand

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Notes: Looking glass bush is a shrub to small tree up to 8m tall. Branches spreading prostrate sometimes self-layering. Leaves are broadly oblong 80 x 50 mm, glossy green above and pale beneath. Flowers are white and arranged in terminal clusters. The fruit is orange and dispersed by birds.

Looking glass bush smothers other plants. It has become naturalised in South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. In Tasmania it is a weed of the Furneaux Island group. It grows on coastal headlands and heathland and tolerates drought, fire and most soil types. It is resistant to salt spray and often grown in coastal gardens because of its hardiness. There are several cultivars.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley ,Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Australia > > Looking glass bush

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Mayne's pest

Weed Identification

Australia > > Mayne's pest

Mayne's pest

Verbena aristigera = Verbena tenuisecta

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Moss verbena

Family: Verbenaceae

Form: Herb

Origin: Native to South America

Weed Type(s): Weed, Quarantine Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Cultivation Escape

Notes: Mayne's pest is a small annual or perennial herb growing to 500mm. It has a prostrate sprawling habit. The aromatic stems are square in cross-section. The leaves have three narrow, toothed leaflets. The showy flowers are borne above the foliage and coloured mauve, purple, blue or white.

References:

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Mayne's pest

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Neem

Weed Identification

Australia > > Neem

Neem

Azadarichta indica

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Meliaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Notes: Neem has been cultivated for thousands of years for its medicinal properties. Soaps, toothpaste and medicines are derived from the tree's leaves, bark, flowers, sap and seed kernels.

It is a tree to 15m tall with red-green pungent leaves composed of up to 12 leaflets. Flowers are white and honey-scented, borne in sprays up to 300mm long. The yellow fruit, about 15mm long with a single seed, is attractive to birds which spread it over a wide area. Humans also spread Neem as an ornamental shade tree.

Neem was planted around settlements and towns in the Northern Territory and is now naturalised around Darwin and Katherine with large stands in the Victoria River district. It is also naturalised in Queensland and Western Australia.

Neem was promoted for plantations in northern Australia in the 1970s and 1980s but these have now reached fruiting stage, thereby presenting major potential for spread. It is available in nurseries.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Mitchell, A. (2004) Personal communication
Smith, N.M.(2003). Weeds of the Wet/Dry tropics of Australia. Environment Centre of the Northern Territory, Darwin.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Neem

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Olive

Weed Identification

Australia > > Olive

Olive

Olea europaea

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Oleaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Olive is believed to be native to the Mediterranean but because it has been grown there for thousands of years it is impossible to determine precisely where it originated. It was introduced to Australia initially in 1805 and there have been many importations since. It was listed in many Victorian nursery catalogues from the mid 1850s.

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Notes: Olive is a long-lived evergreen tree 5-10 m tall with a dense rounded crown. Small white flowers are followed by fleshy fruits containing a single hard seed. Dispersal of seeds is by birds and many seedlings appear near old established trees where grazing is limited or absent.

Olive is now naturalised in South Australia, NSW, Victoria and Western Australia. It is a proclaimed plant in South Australia when not planted and maintained for domestic or commercial use.

To date it is an occasional weed in Canberra however with the establishment of olive plantations it is almost certain to become a major weed in the future.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Brookes, M. and Barley, R. (1992). Plants Listed in Nursery Catalogues in Victoria 1855 - 1889. Ornamental Plants Collections Association, Melbourne.
Parsons, W. T. and Cuthbertson, E. G. (2001). Noxious Weeds of Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Olive

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Oxalis

Weed Identification

Australia > > Oxalis

Oxalis

Oxalis spp.

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Oxalidaceae

Form: Herb / Shrub

Origin: Cosmopolitan, but centres of diversity in South Africa and South America

Weed Type(s): Quarantine Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Notes: The genus Oxalis includes over 800 species of annual or perennial, stemmed or stemless, herbs and shrubs, often with underground bulbs or tubers. A few are aquatic species. Of the thirty species of Oxalis in Australia, twenty are naturalised and many are existing or potential serious pests in various parts of the country. Twenty two species of Oxalis were listed in Victorian nursery catalogues between 1855 and 1889. Eleven species are described in Gardening Australia's Flora (2003) with acknowledgement that 'some of the world's worst weeds belong in Oxalis,…'

One species of concern in Victoria is Soursob, Oxalis pes-caprae which invades coastal heath vegetation, grassland, woodland and dry forest. It also occurs along roadsides, and in gardens, crops and pastures. It is distinguished by the three heart-shaped leaflets with or without stalks which fold in dull days or at night. Flowers are bright yellow in colour and open in sunlight and close at night. There are masses of underground bulbs which are spread by water, birds, in dumped garden waste and during cultivation.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Royal Horticultural Society (1992). Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London.
Brookes, M. and Barley, R. (1992). Plants Listed in Nursery Catalogues in Victoria 1855 - 1889. Ornamental Plants Collections Association, Melbourne.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Photos: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Australia > > Oxalis

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Pepper tree

Weed Identification

Australia > > Pepper tree

Pepper tree

Schinus areira = Schinus molle var. areira

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Californian pepper tree, Peppercorn tree, Peruvian mastic tree

Family:

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to northern South America to Mexico

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: Pepper tree is a large spreading tree growing to a height of 12m. It has drooping fern-like leaves with many leaflets which are aromatic when crushed. Flowers hang in clusters with male and female flowers on separate plants. Flowers on the female trees develop into bright red berries with a hard stone. The seed is very hard and germinates best when passed through the guts of birds. A large number of seeds are stored in the soil.

Mature trees are resistant to fire and drought and are able to sprout from the rootstock if damaged.

Pepper tree is widely planted in homestead gardens and stockyards in dry areas of NSW, Victoria and South Australia. It has invaded lowland grassland and woodland and dry forest. It has been reported as spreading in riparian vegetation near Warwick in south-east Queensland and in old settlements in the Western Australian Goldfields region. It is native to South America and has been planted as a street tree in southern Europe.

Pepper tree was listed for sale in nursery catalogues in Victoria in the l870s and l880s and is still available for sale from many nurseries.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Brookes, M. and Barley, R. (1992). Plants Listed in Nursery Catalogues in Victoria 1855 - 1889. Ornamental Plants Collections Association, Melbourne.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley, Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

photo C. Wilson

photo Kate Blood

Australia > > Pepper tree

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Pink periwinkle

Weed Identification

Australia > > Pink periwinkle

Pink periwinkle

Catharanthus roseus

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Apocynaceae

Form: Herb / Vine

Origin: Native to Madagascar

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Photo: G. Batianoff

Notes: Pink periwinkle is closely related to Blue periwinkle, a major weed in temperate areas. Pink periwinkle is an upright herbaceous perennial. The dark green, lance-shaped leaves have a paler mid rib. The pale pink flowers are borne profusely. There are several horticultural forms selected for their flower colour.

Seeds are dispersed by ants, wind and water. It was first recorded as naturalised in South-east Queensland in 1909 and is widely spread from North Queensland south to the NSW border. It is abundant on Magnetic Island.

It has been ranked no. 62 out of 200 invasive naturalised environmental weed species in south-east Queensland. It is readily available in nurseries.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Batianoff, G. N. and Butler, D. W. (2002). Assessment of invasive naturalized plants in south-east Queensland. Plant Protection Quarterly 17(1): 27-34.
Batianoff, G. N. (2004). Personal communication.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Pink periwinkle

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Poinciana

Weed Identification

Australia > > Poinciana

Poinciana

Delonix regia

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to Madagascar

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: Poinciana is a spreading deciduous tree up to 15m tall. It has twice-divided leaves with many pairs of leaflets. Red, yellow and white flamboyant flowers are followed by brown flattened pods containing up to 40 seeds. Seeds are shed and germinate near the parent plant, thus forming dense thickets if untended.

Poinciana is widely planted as a shade tree in streets, parks and home gardens and has become naturalised in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory near Darwin, Cobourg Peninsula and the Daly River.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Smith, N.M.(2003). Weeds of the Wet/Dry tropics of Australia. Environment Centre of the Northern Territory, Darwin.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

photo. C. Wilson

Australia > > Poinciana

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Radiata pine

Weed Identification

Australia > > Radiata pine

Radiata pine

Pinus radiata

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Monterey pine, Insignis pine after an earlier botanical name

Family: Pinaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to small areas in coastal California

Weed Type(s): Naturalised, Environmental Weed

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Notes: Radiata pine is a tall evergreen conifer growing up to 50m tall in high quality plantation areas. The form of the tree in closely-spaced plantations is narrow while open-grown trees become spreading. Radiata pine bears separate male and female flowers on the same tree with the female flowers developing into woody cones with large numbers of winged seeds. Viable seed may remain in the cones for several years and are often shed abundantly after fire which kills the parent tree.

In the rush to reduce dependence on imports of softwood timber many thousands of hectares of unalienated native bushland were cleared and planted with Radiata pine. The extent of the plantation was often determined by adjacent land ownership and steepness of terrain . This meant that plantations often have a common border with conservation reserves and other native bushland. By 2003 there were over 716,500 ha of Radiata pine in Australia.

A target of 16,000 ha was set for the ACT and this had almost been reached when major bushfires in 2001 and 2003 destroyed over 11,000 ha. A decision has been made to replant up to 7000 ha with Pinus radiata together with areas of native vegetation. The problem of weediness will reappear when the plantations reach seeding age.

Pines have winged seeds which has aid their dispersal into bushland where they compete with native species. In practical terms it may never be possible to eliminate this dispersal while the seed source remains. Genetic modification to produce sterile pines which put more energy into wood production than reproduction appears to be the only solution to invading pines however this scientific achievement is a long way off.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Photos: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Australia > > Radiata pine

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Spanish heath

Weed Identification

Australia > > Spanish heath

Spanish heath

Erica lusitanica

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Portuguese heath

Family: Ericaceae

Form: Shrub

Origin: Native to south-west Europe

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Quarantine Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Notes: Spanish heath is an erect evergreen woody shrub up to 200 cm tall. The leaves are crowded in rings of three or four on brittle, woody stems densely covered with simple hairs. The flowers are white to pink in pendulous clusters of three to four on the ends of the very short side branches. The fruit is a capsule about 3mm long containing many tiny dust-like seeds which are spread by wind, water and on the coats of animals. The seed remains viable in the soil for several years and it is reported that a single plant may produce nine million seeds each year. Fire appears to create suitable conditions for germination and seeding establishment.

Spanish heath is naturalised in New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT. In Victoria, it is widespread and has invaded lowland grassland/grassy woodland, dry and wet forest and streamside vegetation. It is available in nurseries and markets.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Photos: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Australia > > Spanish heath

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Spotted gum

Weed Identification

Australia > > Spotted gum

Spotted gum

Eucalyptus maculata = Corymbia maculata

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Myrtaceae

Form: Tree

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Native Weed, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Notes: Spotted gum occurs naturally in coastal areas of NSW and Qld extending inland for about 400km west of Maryborough. There is a small stand north west of Orbost in eastern Victoria. It is a tall straight tree up to 35-45 m tall and is a valuable timber species. In NSW it is a valuable source of winter nectar for commercial apiarists.

It has been planted in southern Western Australia where it has become naturalised in Banksia and Tuart woodlands from Perth to Busselton. In Kings Park, Perth, Spotted gum has become a serious weed invading Banksia woodland and killing the understorey. Spotted gum is spread by seed.

An alternative species for cultivation in southern Western Australia is Tuart, Eucalyptus gomphocephela.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Hussey, B. M. J., Keighery, G. J., Cousens, R. D., Dodd, J., and Lloyd, S. G. (1997). Western Weeds. Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Perth.
Keighery, G. J. (1994). An Annotated List of the Naturalised Vascular Plants of Western Australia. In (Burke, G. ed) Invasive Weeds and Regenerating Ecosystems in Western Australia, 1995 Conference Proceedings. Institute for Science and Technology Policy, Murdoch University, Perth.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Spotted gum

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Sweet pittosporum

Weed Identification

Australia > > Sweet pittosporum

Sweet pittosporum

Pittosporum undulatum

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Victorian box, Mock orange, Australian cheesewood, New Zealand daphne, Victorian laurel, Wild coffee

Family: Pittosporaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Origin: Native to NSW

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised Garden Weed, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Notes: A tall shrub or small tree growing to a height of 14m and a spread of 6m. Native to wet forests in coastal areas between the Great Dividing Range and the sea from southern Victoria to southern Queensland. It has shiny dark green paler beneath, oval leaves with wavy edges which give it its specific name. Creamy white sweetly-scented flowers are followed by clusters of orange fleshy fruit about 13mm long. The fruits are attractive to birds.

Sweet pittosporum is now a serious weed problem outside its natural range in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. It is present on King, Lord Howe and Norfolk islands and many countries overseas including Jamaica, the Azores and South Africa. It is already a serious weed in the Sydney area and NSW mid-north coast.

Spread of Sweet pittosporum has been encouraged by horticultural advocates extolling its hardiness and sweet perfume and by a range of fruit eating native and exotic birds.

Sweet pittosporum has impacts on natural environments through shading, competition and changes in soil nutrients. By invading native bushland it has removed fire-adapted species and changed fuel loads, even though it is fire- sensitive.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Wrigley, J. W. and Fagg, M. (2003). Australian Native Plants. Reed New Holland, Sydney.
Mullett, T (2001). Effects of the native environmental weed Pittosporum undulatum Vent. (sweet pittosporum) on plant biodiversity. Plant Protection Quarterly 16(3): 117-121.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Sweet pittosporum

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Sydney golden wattle

Weed Identification

Australia > > Sydney golden wattle

Sydney golden wattle

Acacia longifolia

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Native Weed, Introduced, Environmental Weed, Garden Escape, Cultivation Escape

Notes: Sydney golden wattle, which is also known as Sallow, wattle, Long leaved wattle and Golden rods, is a tall, dense shrub or small spreading tree native to NSW, Vic. and Tas. It is fast growing and adaptable to a wide range of situations but requires good drainage.

The sweet scented flowers attract a range of insects which attract birds who feed on them.

Two distinct forms have been introduced to Western Australia. Subspecies longifolia which has bright green linear 'leaves' and straight pods and subspecies sophorae which has thicker, shorter and sometimes fleshy 'leaves' and coiled or contorted pods. Propagation is by seed which may lie dormant in the soil for many years. Subspecies sophorae has been recommended as an excellent screen plant, for beach plantings and for stabilising dunes.

Acacia longifolia has become a weed in South Africa.

Sydney golden wattle is a garden escape which grows on roadsides, creeklines, swamps and bushland from Perth to Manypeaks, northeast of Albany.

Local Western Australian species of Acacia are recommended as alternatives to Sydney Golden Wattle.

References:

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Sydney golden wattle

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Taro

Weed Identification

Australia > > Taro

Taro

Colocasia esculenta

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Araceae

Form: Water plant

Origin: Native to India

Weed Type(s): Weed, Quarantine Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Notes: Taro is a perennial aquatic herb with tuberous roots and large arrow- or heart-shaped leaves 150 x 350mm on sturdy stalks.

Taro is dispersed by water and humans and although first recorded as naturalised only in 1996 it is now spread along many creeks and rivers.

It has the potential to become a major weed along Queensland tropical and subtropical coast and northern NSW.

Taro is grown widely as a food plant and there are several cultivars. It is readily available.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Batianoff, G. N. (2004). Personal communication.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Taro

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Topped lavender

Weed Identification

Australia > > Topped lavender

Topped lavender

Lavandula stoechas

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Bush lavender, French lavender, Italian Lavender, Spanish lavender

Family: Lamiaceae

Form: Shrub

Origin: Native to the Mediterranean

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Casual Alien

Notes: Topped lavender is a small upright shrub to 1m high. The opposite leaves are downy, grayish-green and fragrant. Flowers are deep purple and fragrant in cylindrical heads topped with a few distinctive violet bracts. Abundant seeds are produced in late spring and early summer.

Topped lavender has been in cultivation in Australia since 1857 and was recorded in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in 1858. It appears in Victorian nursery catalogues in the 1870s. It is naturalised in Victoria and South Australia and on the Mt Stromlo Observatory site in Canberra before the 2003 bushfires. It has been declared a noxious weed in parts of Victoria.

Seed is spread by wind and water. As a weed it forms dense patches eliminating other species. It is not eaten by domestic stock and provides harbour for rabbits.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Brookes, M. and Barley, R. (1992). Plants Listed in Nursery Catalogues in Victoria 1855 - 1889. Ornamental Plants Collections Association, Melbourne.
Parsons, W. T. and Cuthbertson, E. G. (2001). Noxious Weeds of Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Topped lavender

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Tree heath

Weed Identification

Australia > > Tree heath

Tree heath

Erica arborea

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Ericaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Origin: Native to Mediterranean, east Africa, Middle East, Canary and Madeira islands

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Notes: Tree heath is a shrub or small tree up to 7m tall with dark green leaves grooved beneath. It produces masses of small white, scented flowers followed by small fruits which shed seeds over short distances. It has a well developed rootstock which reshoots after fire.

Tree Heath is recorded as a weed in New Zealand and Corsica. There are naturalised populations in South Australia, and in Victoria it is a threat to riverside vegetation. It is widespread in Tasmania.

Tree heath was listed in many Victorian nursery catalogues between the 1850s and 1880s. There are many other species of Erica which are popular garden plants with weedy potential.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Brookes, M. and Barley, R. (1992). Plants Listed in Nursery Catalogues in Victoria 1855 - 1889. Ornamental Plants Collections Association, Melbourne.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Photo: T. Rudman, DPIWE Tas

Australia > > Tree heath

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Umbrella sedge

Weed Identification

Australia > > Umbrella sedge

Umbrella sedge

Cyperus involucratus

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Cyperaceae

Form: Herb

Origin: Native to Africa

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Environmental Weed, Garden Escape, Cultivation Escape

Photo: G. Batianoff

Notes: Cyperus is a large genus of about 600 species of annual and perennial grass-like herbs occurring throughout the world except for very cold regions. There are about 130 species native to Australia.

Umbrella sedge stems are triangular in cross section and up to one metre tall. The flowerhead is umbrella-like and the plant is grown for this feature. It will grow on creek banks and in water up to 400mm deep. Once established it is very persistent.

References:

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Photo: G. Batianoff

Australia > > Umbrella sedge

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Watsonia

Weed Identification

Australia > > Watsonia

Watsonia

Watsonia spp.

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Iridaceae

Form: Herb

Origin: Native to South Africa

Weed Type(s): Naturalised, Environmental Weed, Garden Escape

W. bulbillifera

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: Watsonia has been cultivated in Australia for more than 150 years being included in nursery catalogues in Victoria in the 1850s. Six species of Watsonia have been recorded as naturalised in conservation reserves and state forests in Western Australia including Kings Park. They are all believed to be garden escapes. Because they are of garden origin it is often difficult to determine the exact species.

Watsonia aletroides was first recorded as naturalised in Western Australia in 1981 and in Victoria in 1989. Watsonia bulbillifera is a serious weed in the wetter south coast and south-west of Western Australia where it colonises roadsides. Watsonia marginata, which has open pale lilac flowers, occurs around old settlements from the Darling Range to Albany.

Watsonia is a sun-loving herbaceous perennial which holds its flowers above the foliage. It was introduced as an ornamental and propagated for its hardiness and bright flowers. Up to three corms are produced alongside the main corm each year and cormlets are produced in the axils of the leaves. The corms can remain dormant for many years when dry and can be shipped easily by post. Watsonia may also be raised from seed.

References:

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

W. meriana

W. bulbillifera

photos C. Wilson

Australia > > Watsonia

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Weeping white broom

Weed Identification

Australia > > Weeping white broom

Weeping white broom

Retama raetum

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

THIS PLANT IS ON THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT LIST
http://www.weeds.gov.au/weeds/lists/alert.html

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Shrub

Origin: Native to northern Africa and western Sahara, Sicily and the Middle East.

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed.

photo. Maxwell Magain

Notes: Weeping white broom is on the Alert List for Environmental Weeds, which contains 28 species of non-native plants that threaten biodiversity and the environment.

Weeping white broom is a graceful shrub to about 3m tall with downy young foliage on long slender branches. It has small white flowers in spring followed by pea-like pods containing one or two kidney-shaped seeds. A single plant may produces thousands of seeds.

It has been used for sand stabilisation in southern Spain and Morocco and is weedy in California and Oregon in the United States of America.

White weeping broom was introduced to Australia as an ornamental and first recorded in 1841 in South Australia. It does not appear to have been promoted or may have been included with other brooms in the genus Genista. In Australia, Weeping white broom has become naturalised along road verges and wasteland in Perth and in scrub and woodland on sandy soils on Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas in South Australia. It has been nominated as one of the top ten most invasive garden plants in southern Western Australia.

Seed may lie dormant in the soil for many years, germinating after fire. It is readily propagated from seed and widely available in the nursery trade where it is often sold as Retama monophylla, Retama monosperma or Genista alba.

An alternative to White weeping broom is the Australian native broom, Viminaria juncea, which has perfumed orange flowers in spring. It occurs in all states but not the Northern Territory, usually in swampy ground, so it prefers damp conditions.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Royal Horticultural Society (1992). Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London.
Wrigley, J. W. and Fagg, M. (2003). Australian Native Plants. Reed New Holland, Sydney.
CRC for Australian Weed Management (2003). 'Retama raetam', Weed Management Guide: Alert List for Environmental Weeds, Adelaide.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

photos Maxwell Magain

Australia > > Weeping white broom

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - White cedar

Weed Identification

Australia > > White cedar

White cedar

Melia azedarach

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Chinaberry, Cape lilac, Indian bead tree, Persian lilac

Family: Meliaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to south-east Asia and northern Australia

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape, Casual Alien

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: White cedar is a spreading deciduous tree growing to 15m tall with leaves composed of many leaflets 20-50mm long. It produces abundant sprays of fragrant lilac flowers followed by many hard yellow berries 10-20mm long. These are poisonous to children and stock but eaten and distributed by birds.

Although native to the Kimberley it is naturalised and spreading in wasteland near Perth. It is widely used as a street and park tree in western NSW and western Queensland.

References:

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

photo. C. Wilson

Australia > > White cedar

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - White poplar

Weed Identification

Australia > > White poplar

White poplar

Populus alba

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Silver leaved poplar, Silver poplar

Family: Salicaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to Eurasia

Weed Type(s): Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Notes: White poplar is a rounded broad-leaved deciduous tree growing up to 12 m tall. It is distinguished by the blue grey leaves with white undersides and white bark. Leaves turn brilliant yellow in autumn and it is often grown for this feature. It has male and female flowers on separate trees a have been produced. After flowering in October the unfertilised female flowers become white wind borne 'fluff' which spreads widely causing respiratory irritation to some people.

White poplar may be mistaken for Silver birch.

White poplar spreads by suckers which may from dense thickets in gullies and along streams. Suckering is stimulated by soil disturbance damaging roots.

White poplar is an environmental weed in South Africa. In Western Australia it has formed dense stands in disturbed wetlands from Perth to Albany and it is considered a threat to riparian vegetation in Victoria. It has spread along the Murrumbidgee River and in wet areas in rural parts of the ACT. It is still sold in nurseries.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Berry, S and Mulvaney, M. (1995). An Environmental Weed Survey of the Australian Capital Territory. Report prepared for the Conservation Council of the South-east Region and Canberra, Conservation Council of the South-east Region and Canberra, Canberra.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > White poplar

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - White teak

Weed Identification

Australia > > White teak

White teak

Gmelina arborea

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Verbenaceae

Form: Tree

Origin: Native to tropical moist forests of India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, to southern China

Notes: A deciduous tree 12-30m tall with light grey to brown bark initially smooth but becoming rough with age. The large leaves are up to 25cm long. They are borne opposite, are rounded and velvety beneath with yellow-brown hairs. The leafstalk is long, up to 12cm and hairy. The bright orange-yellow flowers are also densely hairy and borne on short stalks.

Fruits are gg-shaped about 2-2.5cm long becoming orange-yellow in colour. Each fruit has an egg-shaped stone with 1-4 seeds. Rabbits and deer eat the fruits and disperse the seeds.

White teak is grown widely in the tropics for timber and firewood. It has been planted extensively in Brazil for pulpwood and in Gambia for fuel and honey. It is often planted as an ornamental.

White teak is in the same family as Lantana. It casts a dense shade which may inhibit the growth of other species.

References:

Smith, N.M.(2003). Weeds of the Wet/Dry tropics of Australia. Environment Centre of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
Duke, J.A. (1983). Handbook of Energy Crops. Unpublished

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > White teak

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Yellow allamanda

Weed Identification

Australia > > Yellow allamanda

Yellow allamanda

Allamanda cathartica

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Yellow trumpet vine, Golden allamanda, Golden cup

Family: Apocynaceae

Form: Shrub

Origin: Native to north-eastern South America

Weed Type(s): Weed, Sleeper Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: Yellow Allamanda is scrambling shrub or vigorous evergreen climber up to 16m high. It has glossy-green leathery leaves. Large yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers up to 120mm are prominent in summer and autumn. The rounded fruit is covered in spines about 10mm long.

Yellow allamanda was listed in Victorian nursery catalogues as early as 1855. It was first recorded as naturalised in North Queensland in 1945 but had been grown in Brisbane Botanical Gardens in 1933. It is spread by wind and water and is now widely naturalised in rainforests from North and Central Queensland. There are several colour forms and it is widely available in nurseries.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Parker, J. and Malone, M. eds. (2003). Gardening Australia: Flora: the gardener's bible over 20,000 plants. ABC Books, Sydney.
Batianoff, G. N. (2004). Personal communication.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

photo. C. Wilson

Australia > > Yellow allamanda

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Broom (<i>Genista</i> spp.)

Weed Identification

Australia > > Broom (Genista spp.)

Broom (Genista spp.)

Genista spp.

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Origin: Native to Europe, Mediterranean to Western Asia

Weed Type(s): Weed, Naturalised, Environmental Weed

Genista monspessulana

photo. C. Wilson

Notes: Both genera Cytisus and Genista are similar in appearance and have the same common name. Genista contains 90 species of shrubs or small trees often deciduous or appearing evergreen due to green flattened branches. They are sometimes spiny. Pea-like yellow flowers are carried in dense heads. Seeds which are poisonous are borne in pods. The seeds may live for years in the soil germinating densely after fire.

One of the most common species is Montpellier broom, Genista monspessulana, an evergreen shrub to about 3000m high. Each pod contains about six black seeds which are shed explosively over one or two metres from the parent plant. Montpellier broom has an extensive root system which enables it to withstand drought.

Montpellier broom is believed to have been introduced to Australia in the 19th century and has since become naturalised in NSW, Victoria, south west Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania and the ACT where it occurs along roadsides and in the hills behind Canberra.

Brooms are still sold in nurseries and markets.

References:

Randall, R. P. (2002). A Global Compendium of Weeds. R. G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia. National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Royal Horticultural Society (1992). Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London.
Blood, K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for S E Australia, C. H. Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley Victoria.
Berry, S and Mulvaney, M. (1995). An Environmental Weed Survey of the Australian Capital Territory. Report prepared for the Conservation Council of the South-east Region and Canberra, Conservation Council of the South-east Region and Canberra, Canberra.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Genista monspessulana
photos C. Wilson

Australia > > Broom (Genista spp.)

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Broom (<i>Cytisus</i> spp.)

Weed Identification

Australia > > Broom (Cytisus spp.)

Broom (Cytisus spp.)

Cytisus spp.

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Fabaceae

Form: Shrub / Tree

Origin: Native to Europe and Asia

Weed Type(s): Weed, Quarantine Weed, Noxious Weed, Naturalised, Introduced, Garden Escape, Environmental Weed, Cultivation Escape

Notes: The genus Cytisus contains 33 species of evergreen or deciduous shrubs or small trees without thorns. Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius, and its different forms are the most commonly planted species. Shrub or small tree growing to 4m tall. Flowers are pea-shaped, of various colours and borne prolifically. Fruits are flattened pods which split on hot days and explosively expel the seeds which are spread in mud attached to vehicles, animals and footwear or by siltation along watercourses, contaminated soil and ants.

Seed levels for Cytisus scoparius in the soil are often high, up to 11,000 seeds per sq m have been recorded at Barrington Tops and 20,000 per sq m near Braidwood, NSW (Hosking, J.R. 2004, pers. comm.). Germination is encouraged by fire.

In Australia, Cytisus scoparius occupies about 200,000 hectares in the ACT, NSW, Tasmania, SA, Victoria and WA and competes with native shrubs and understorey plants. It also invades pastures, forests and plantations. In Tasmania it is common around Hobart (Rudman, T. 2004, pers. comm.). It is one of 49 naturalised non-native species which are having a direct impact on native rare and threatened species (Groves et al. 2003). Also invasive in New Zealand, India, South Africa, Canada, USA including Hawaii. Other invasive Cytisus species recorded in Australia include C. multiflorus.

References:

Blood,K. (2001). Environmental Weeds. A Field Guide for SE Australia. C.H.Jerram & Associates-Science Publishers, Mt Waverley, Victoria.
Csurhes, S. and Edwards, R. (1998). Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia.
National Weeds Program, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Groves, R.H. et al. (2003). Weed Categories for Natural and Agricultural Ecosystem Management. Dept. of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra.
Hosking, J.R., Dept. of Agriculture, Tamworth, NSW.
Rudman, T. Flora Protection Officer, Dept. Primary Industries, Water & Environment, Hobart, Tasmania.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Australia > > Broom (Cytisus spp.)

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Pink Pampas Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Pink Pampas Grass

Pink Pampas Grass

Cortaderia jubata

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: A large pink to pale purple (fading with age) plume-like seedhead to 0.9 m long; held on hollow jointed stems (culms), well above the arching leaves. Flowers January to April.

Description: Tussocky perennial to 4.5 m tall. Leaves to about 2 m long with a prominent midrib and sharp edges of forward facing short teeth. A rim of hairs at the base of the leaf blade (ligule) up to 3 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by drooping leaves compared with erect leaves for Cortaderia selloana. Inflorescences of Cortaderia jubata are held high above the arching leaves.

Dispersal: Seed is wind borne for many kilometres. Also spread from whole plants dumped into bushland and along stream banks.

Pale pink flowerheads of C. jubata held
high above leaves

Notes: Introduced as an ornamental and now a major weed. Plants female only, but produce seeds without fertilisation (apomixis). Tolerant of wet conditions, it grows in saturated soils and on high ground where summer rainfall is adequate. Cortaderia jubata is the most aggressive of the three species naturalised in Australia, and the most common weedy Cortaderia in NSW and Victoria and is replacing Cortaderia selloana as the major weedy Cortaderia species in Tasmania.

References:

Noxious Weeds of Australia. W. Parsons and E. Cuthbertson, 1992, pages 103–104. Flora of Victoria. N. Walsh and T Entwisle (eds), 1996, Vol. 1, pages 546–548. Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, pages 565–566.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

C. jubata flowerhead
after flowering

Left to right: juvenile;
leaf showing midrib;
leaf sheath & ligule

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G01

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Pink Pampas Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Giant Parramatta Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Giant Parramatta Grass

Giant Parramatta Grass

Sporobolus fertilis

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native of tropical Asia and Malesia.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: Flowers spring to autumn.

Description: Tufted perennial with seedhead to 1.6 m high. Leaf blades to 50 cm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by leaf blades to 1.5–5 mm wide; seedhead 25–50 cm long with branches appressed to the axis and overlapping, although lower ones generally spreading at maturity, lowest node of seedhead with 1 main branch; spikelets 1.6–2 mm long with upper glume about a third of spikelet length, lower glume about 50% length of upper glume; grain 0.8–1.0 mm long.

Dispersal: By seed by water, wind and machinery. At maturity seeds become sticky and may attach to hair or fur.

Confused With: Other Sporobolus species, see taxonomic texts for detailed distuishing features. Often confused with Parramatta Grass (Sporobolus africanus, previously known as Sporobolus indicus var. capensis) that is generally shorter (15–90 cm high), lower branches of seedhead close to stem and spikelets 2.1–2.5 mm long.

Folded leaves & mature spike

Notes: Summer growing unpalatable tough grass. Widespread and locally common in coastal areas of NSW and Queensland. Weed of low fertility soils. When established will exclude native plants. Recovers rapidly from fire. Major weed of disturbed and pastoral land.

References:

Australian Systematic Botany. B. Simon and S. Jacobs. Vol. 12, 1999, pages 375–448. Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed.), Vol. 4, 1993, page 525–526.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Invading pasture
near Bomaderry, NSW

Seed, glumes (husks)

Base of plant & seedhead

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G02

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Giant Parramatta Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Giant Rat's Tail Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Giant Rat's Tail Grass

Giant Rat's Tail Grass

Sporobolus pyramidalis

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to Africa.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: Dense branched panicle 25–40 cm long. Flowers most of year.

Description: Tufted perennial to about 1.7 m tall. Leaves folded or rolled, hairless although sometimes with a few rigid hairs on margins of the lower leaves. Seed orange-brown, tapered-cylindrical, about 1 mm long. Roots fibrous.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by cylindrical spike-like seedhead with stiff, erect overlapping branches before flowering, branches usually opening at maturity becoming pyramid shaped (see top right photo). Leaves 6–8 mm wide.

Dispersal: At maturity seeds become sticky and may attach to hair or fur. Also moved by water, wind and machinery.

Confused With: Other Sporobolus species.

Seedheads with orange-brown seeds

Notes: Unpalatable tough grass. Widespread and locally common in coastal areas of northern NSW and Qld. Weed of low fertility soils. When established will exclude native plants. Recovers rapidly from fire. Low fodder value for sheep and cattle. Major weed of disturbed and pastoral land.

References:

Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, page 526. Australian Systematic Botany. B. Simon and S. Jacobs. Vol. 12, 1999, pages 375–448.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Plant growing in tufts.
Grows up to 2 m tall

Seedheads at varying
stages of opening

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G03

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Giant Rat's Tail Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Gamba Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Gamba Grass

Gamba Grass

Andropogon gayanus

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to Africa.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: Terminal paired racemes that spread to a V-shape (see photo). Heads mature brown. Flowers autumn and winter.

Description: Perennial grass that forms tussocks. Stems hairless. Leaves to 30 cm long, to 2 cm wide and often with a white midrib.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by erect habit to 4 m high; racemes in pairs, one with spikelets to the base and one with a bare base for 6 mm; spikelets paired with one spikelet being on a stalk and the other not; awns to 30 mm long and hairy (fluffy when mature) seedheads.

Dispersal: Planted as a pasture species and initially this has been the main source of spread. Seeds spread by wind and water, and by vehicles and machinery in mud and on radiators.

Grows to 4m tall, Darwin, NT, July

photo C. Wilson

Notes: Forms dense patches out-competing native plants. Introduced as a pasture species but has low palatability when mature. Requires constant slashing or grazing to be of pastoral use. Grows in savanna woodlands where rainfall is over 600 mm per annum. Also grows in degraded areas, roadsides, pastures as well as native vegetation. Provides fuel for hotter than normal fires that damage native plants. Major weed of Venezuela and regarded as a serious threat to savannas of northern Australia.

References:

Reference: Weeds of Natural Ecosystems: a field guide to environmental weeds of the Northern Territory. N. Smith, 1995, NT Environment Centre, page 49.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Leaf with white midrib

Hairy spikelets

Matures to a V-shaped seedhead,
Darwin, NT, May

photo C. Wilson

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G04

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Gamba Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - African Lovegrass

Weed Identification

Australia > > African Lovegrass

African Lovegrass

Eragrostis curvula

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to southern Africa.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seed Head: Up to 30 cm long. Flowers mostly summer to autumn, but spring burning will promote rapid growth to full maturity in early summer.

Description: Tufted, often tussocky, perennial grass to about 1.5 m tall. Leaves hairless or with soft hairs having wart-like bases; appendage at base of leaf (ligule) a hairy rim to 1 mm long; blade about 3 mm wide. Seeds cream to brown about 1 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by erect, open or compact seedhead, that has a lead-grey or grey-green appearance (see photo) and leaf tips that are often curly.

Dispersal: Seeds that are often spread in mud on vehicles and animals.

Seed heads closed at first (left) open at maturity (right)

Notes: A variable species complex. Valued for soil conservation and fodder or regarded as a serious weed. Introduced for soil stabilisation. Common on sandy soils; capable of resisting drought and heavy grazing. Successfully competes with low growing weeds such as Spiny Burrgrass Cenchrus species and Caltrop Tribulus terrestris. Many early introductions were of low palatability. 'Consol' is a cultivar selected for palatability. Seedlings grow rapidly after summer rain and strategies to control it depend on providing unfavourable conditions in summer. Serious weed of road verges and may form dense swards crowding out more desirable species in pasture or environmental areas.

References:

Noxious Weeds of Australia. W. Parsons and E. Cuthbertson, 1992, pages 106–109. Australian Systematic Botany, M. Lazarides, 1997, Vol. 10, pages 77–187.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Left: unburnt Lovegrass
Right: regrowth after burning

Part of seedhead & spikelets at flowering

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G05.
More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.
It has also been included in the 'Jumping the Garden Fence' report (WWF-Australia PDF - 1.19mb) which examines the impact of invasive garden plants on Australian agricultural land and natural ecosystems.

Australia > > African Lovegrass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Buffel Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Buffel Grass

Buffel Grass

Cenchrus ciliaris

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to Africa and south western Asia.

Flowers/Seedhead: Flowers most of year, usually after rain.

Description: Tufted erect or spreading perennial to 1 m high with a tough rootstock. Often roots from lower nodes. Base of leaf blade with a ring of short hairs (ligule). Leaf blade bluish-green, to 30 cm long and to 1.3 cm wide.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by seedheads in a dense hairy cylindrical spike to 10 (rarely to 25) cm long and to 2 cm wide; 1–4 spikelets surrounded basally by bristles with forward directed barbs and forming soft purple burrs to 16 mm long, with one bristle longer than others.

Dispersal: Seeds are spread by wind, water, stock and machinery.

Confused With: Another Buffel Grass Cenchrus pennisetiformis, see taxonomic texts for distinguishing features.

Seedheads, Carnavon, WA, July

Notes: Grows on all types of soil, commonly on sandy and stony soils. Useful for erosion control and as a pasture species. Can withstand heavy grazing. Often regarded as a weed of alluvial flats and riverine sites. Still spreading. Major environmental weed of northern Australia where it displaces native species. Plants are fire resistant but have the ability to carry fire in areas where fire was not normally part of the ecosystem. The species requires summer rain and is not cold tolerant.

References:

Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, page 500–502. Weeds of Natural Ecosystems: a field guide to environmental weeds of the Northern Territory. N. Smith, 1995, NT Environment Centre, page 51.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

After rain, Alice Springs, NT, April

photo C. Wilson

Spikelets

photo C. Wilson

Mature seedheads
Alice Springs, NT, Aug

photo C. Wilson

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G06

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Buffel Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Mission Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Mission Grass

Mission Grass

Pennisetum polystachion

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native of tropical Africa.

Flowers/Seedhead: Spikelets solitary, to 4.5 mm long. Flowers summer to early winter.

Description: Tufted, annual or perennial grass to 3 m high. Leaf blade to 45 cm long and to 1.8 cm wide; base of leaf blade with a ring of short hairs (ligule) to 2 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by seedheads to 1.5–2 cm wide and to 25 (rarely to 35) cm long, cylindrical, compact, light brown; spikelets surrounded by numerous bristles to 2.5 cm long and hairy in the lower part, upper glume as long as the spikelets, and lower glume absent or obscure.

Dispersal: Spread by seed.

Confused With: Similar to 2 subspecies of Pennisetum pedicellatum: subspecies unispiculum and subspecies pedicellatum, the latter being more common in the NT.

Seedheads of Pennisetum polystachion (left) Pennisetum pedicellatum (right)

Notes: Introduced as a pasture species. Rarely establishes outside the tropics. Encouraged by repeated burning. Fuel load from this species is often 3–5 times that of neighbouring areas free of Mission Grass or Gamba Grass, Andropogon gayanus. This fuel load results in more intense fires than previously and this has a detrimental impact on other native species as well as on property and horticulture.

References:

Noxious Weeds of Australia. W. Parsons and E. Cuthbertson, 1992, pages 119–121. Weeds of Natural Ecosystems: a field guide to environmental weeds of the Northern Territory. N. Smith, 1995, NTEnvironment Centre, page 59.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Dense stands exclude other grasses

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G07

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Mission Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Para Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Para Grass

Para Grass

Urochloa mutica

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Brachiaria mutica, Panicum muticum.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Probably native to tropical Africa but first described from Brazilian specimens.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: With branches at, or near, right angles to the stem. Spikelets to 3.5 mm long with lower glume 30–50% of spikelet length. Flowering time depends on location.

Description: Stoloniferous leafy perennial to 2 m high. Leaf sheath (part of leaf around stem) with tubercle-based hairs (small wart-like outgrowth at base of hairs—use a hand lens to view them). Leaf blade to 20 mm wide.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by spreading habit with stems to 4 m long; thickened areas on stems (nodes) densely hairy; seedheads terminal with 5–20 branches, each 2–8 cm long.

Dispersal: Spread by seeds and vegetatively. Most long distance dispersal takes place through its use as a pasture species.

Seedhead & hairy leaf sheath,
Casino, NSW, April

Notes: Summer-growing and frost sensitive in temperate areas. Valuable tropical fodder plant. A serious weed in native wetlands as well as in drainage and supply channels. Destroys waterbird breeding habitats and replaces native vegetation in tropical and sub-tropical streams.

References:

Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, page 468–471. Weeds of Natural Ecosystems: a field guide to environmental weeds of the Northern Territory. N. Smith, 1995, NT Environment Centre, page 50.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Dense stands,
Munmalary, NT, November

photo C. Wilson

Para Grass in former Mimosa area,
Oenpelli, NT

photo C. Wilson

Para Grass fire on floodplain,
Oenpelli, NT, Sept

photo C. Wilson

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G08

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Para Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Olive Hymenachne

Weed Identification

Australia > > Olive Hymenachne

Olive Hymenachne

Hymenachne amplexicaulis

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

THIS PLANT HAS BEEN DECLARED A WEED OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native of Mexico, central America, tropical South America, West Indies.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: Spikelets lanceolate, to 4.5 mm long. Flowers summer and autumn.

Description: Robust rhizomatous perennial grass to 1.5 (rarely to 2.5) m high. Stems floating or spreading over moist soil and then erect, often stoloniferous at the base and rooting at the nodes. Leaf blade to 3 (rarely to 6) cm wide and to 35 (rarely to 45) cm long; base of leaf blade with a membranous rim (ligule) against the stem.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by stems containing pith; leaf blades stem-clasping at the base; cylindrical seedheads about 8 mm wide and to 40 cm long.

Dispersal: Spread by seed, in stockfeed, by waterbirds or by flood waters. Also planted as a ponded pasture species.

Confused With: Hymenachne acutigluma is a similar native species that does not have a stem-clasping leaf base.

Leaf with prominent stem clasping lobes
Adelaide R, NT, May

Notes: Thrives in water to 2 m deep in areas with wet and dry cycles, tolerates deeper water than Para Grass, Urochloa mutica. Introduced as a ponded pasture species. Provides high quality feed all year round, even as waterbodies dry during extended periods of no rain. Displaces native species from deeper water threatening native wetland habitat.

References:

Weeds of Natural Ecosystems: a field guide to environmental weeds of the Northern Territory. N. Smith, 1995, NT Environment Centre, page 57. Floodplain Flora: a flora of the Northern Territory, Australia. I. Cowie et al., 2000, Parks and Wildlife Commission of NT, page 299.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Broad leaves
& cylindrical
seedheads

photo C. Wilson

Dense growth, Scotts Creek, Djukbinj, NT, May

photo C. Wilson

Native Hymenachne
acutigluma without lobes

photo C. Wilson

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G09

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Olive Hymenachne

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Mossman River Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Mossman River Grass

Mossman River Grass

Cenchrus echinatus

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native of North and South America.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: Inflorescence a cylindrical spike of up to 50 burrs. Flowers most of year in tropical areas.

Description: Clump-forming annual grass to 80 cm high. Leaves with or without hairs, to 12 mm wide, ligule a fringe of hairs.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by burrs 4–10 mm long with backwardly directed barbs and with ring of smaller bristles around base of burr.

Dispersal: Spread by seed in burrs. Burrs are spread attached to animals, clothing and bags, and burrs float and are moved by water.

Confused With: Other Cenchrus species, see taxonomic texts for detailed distinguishing features.

Mature burrs often turn reddish
Moreton Island, Qld, March

Notes: Germinates in spring and summer in temperate zones. Often grows on sandy soils especially along coast; provides good grazing when young, but is a major weed if allowed to mature. Burrs reduce the value of wool and make shearing hazardous. Spines of burrs also penetrate hides lowering their value. This grass is a weed of many tropical and subtropical crops where the plant competes for moisture, nutrients and light. Burrs are also a problem in recreation areas.

References:

Noxious Weeds of Australia. W. Parsons and E. Cuthbertson, 1992, pages 95–97. Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, pages 500–502.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Spiny Burrs
Berrimah, NT, March

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G10

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Mossman River Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Lobed Needlegrass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Lobed Needlegrass

Lobed Needlegrass

Nassella charruana

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

THIS PLANT IS ON THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT LIST
http://www.weeds.gov.au/weeds/lists/alert.html

Family: Poaceae

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and south eastern Brazil.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: Grows to 30 cm long. Spikelets with glumes c. 1.7 cm long, end of lemma near callus covered with white hairs; awns twice bent, to 8.5 cm long. Flowers spring and summer.

Description: Tussock-forming perennial to 1 m high. Stems erect, hollow.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by nodes without hairs; glumes translucent to straw-coloured; presence of large, pale brown to white lobes on top of the lemma and about as long as the dark brown lemma (see photo). Leaf blades to 2 mm wide; ligule to 1 mm long.

Dispersal: Spread by seed.

Tufts 70 cm high, roadside
Thomastown, Vic

photo J.R. Hosking

Notes: Only known from a few locations in Victoria. First recorded in 1995. Forms competitive dense stands. This species gives every indication of being an extremely serious agricultural and environmental weed. Regarded as a grass of poor feed value and is considered a weed in its native range. Seeds penetrate fur and skin. Reported to prefer clay soils in its native range. A program aimed at eradicating this species began in Victoria in 1998.

References:

Plant Protection Quarterly. N. Walsh, 1998, Vol. 13, pages 59–62. Plant Protection Quarterly. D. McLaren et al., 1998, Vol. 13, pages 62–70.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Straw coloured glumes, leaf & nodes without hairs

photo J.R. Hosking

Distinctive pale brown to white lobes at top of the lemma
& around the awn
Inset: seed

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G11

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Lobed Needlegrass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Chilean Needlegrass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Chilean Needlegrass

Chilean Needlegrass

Nassella neesiana

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

THIS PLANT HAS BEEN DECLARED A WEED OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: Grows to 40 cm long; lemma (excluding corona) to 1 cm long, hard point at base of lemma with hairs; awns twice bent, 4–9 cm long. Flowers spring and summer.

Description: Tufted perennial to 1 m high. Leaves to 5 mm wide with ligule to 3 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by nodes covered with short soft hairs; purplish glumes to 25 mm long; cylindrical crown (corona) around the base of the awn is less than 1.5 mm long and lacks long hairs.

Dispersal: Spread by seeds that are produced in the seedheads as well as beneath leaf-sheaths above the nodes of flowering shoots and at the stem base. Stem seeds enable the plant to reproduce even if flowering is prevented.

Growing on roadside, Rutherglen, Vic

Notes: Germination mainly occurs in autumn and spring. Palatable and considered to be a reasonable feed in winter but a poor feed when flowering and seeding. Causes vegetable fault in wool. First recorded in Australia in 1934. Increasing numbers of infestations are being reported on roadsides and along drainage lines in native and improved pastures in NSW and Vic. Now a major agricultural and environmental weed in Vic and NSW. This species is also a weed in Europe, North and South America and New Zealand.

References:

Plant Protection Quarterly. N. Walsh, 1998, Vol. 13, pages 59–62. Plant Protection Quarterly. D. McLaren et al., 1998, Vol. 13, pages 62–70

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Head emerging & ligule,
November

Seeds showing corona and hairy lemma

illustration: E. Mayfield

Hairy node &
drooping heads
Nemingha, NSW

photo J.R. Hosking

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G12

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Chilean Needlegrass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Mexican Feather Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Mexican Feather Grass

Mexican Feather Grass

Nassella tenuissima

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

IMPORTANT: IF YOU SUSPECT THE PRESENCE OF THIS PLANT, PLEASE REPORT IT BY CALLING 1800 084 881 (local call cost anywhere in Australia)
or
REPORT IT ONLINE.

Alternative Name(s): White Tussock, Stipa tenuissima.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native from southern USA to Chile and Argentina.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: Young seedheads held among the leaves; mature seedhead to 25 cm long; glumes to 1 cm long; callus bearded. Flowers summer.

Description: Perennial grass forming dense tussocks to 0.8 m high. Leaf blades to 0.5 mm wide, tightly rolled and with small serrations that can be felt when fingers are moved downward along the blade.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by hairless nodes, some usually visible; ligule membranous and hairless, to 2.5 mm long; glumes purplish in the lower half; lemma to 3 mm long, with some hairs to 0.3 mm long at the top (at the base of the own); own narrow, straight or obscurely twice bent, 4.5–9 cm long; attached centrally to the top of the lemma.

Dispersal: Spread by seed and as an ornamental.

Confused With: Serrated tussock, Nassella trichotoma, which has shorter awns 2–3.5 cm long that are attached off-centre at the top of the lemma.

Distinguished by long awns and lack of corona
Inset: seed

photo J.J. Dellow illustration E. Mayfield

Notes: Initially mislabelled and sold as an ornamental in Australia under the names Elegant Spear Grass, Pony Tail and Angel's Hair. Mexican Feather Grass is not known to be naturalised in Australia to date. This grass is a weed in its native range and is considered to be of low palatability. If this species naturalises in Australia it potentially has a wider range than Serrated Tussock. Mexican Feather Grass escaped from cultivation in New Zealand and has become a weed that is continuing to spread.

References:

Reference: Telopea. S. Jacobs et al., 1998, Vol. 8, pages 41–46.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Shows the difference between seeds of
the 3 illustrated species.
NB long bent awns of N. tenuissima

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G13.
More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.
It has also been included in the 'Jumping the Garden Fence' report (WWF-Australia PDF - 1.19mb) which examines the impact of invasive garden plants on Australian agricultural land and natural ecosystems.

Australia > > Mexican Feather Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Serrated Tussock

Weed Identification

Australia > > Serrated Tussock

Serrated Tussock

Nassella trichotoma

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

THIS PLANT HAS BEEN DECLARED A WEED OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: Young seedheads held among the leaves; mature seedhead to 25 cm long; glumes to 1 cm long; hard point at base of lemma bearded. Flowers spring and early summer.

Description: Perennial grass forming dense tussocks to 0.6 m high. Leaf blades to 0.5 mm wide, tightly rolled and with small serrations that can be felt when fingers are moved downward along the blade.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by softly hairy nodes but usually concealed by leaf sheaths; ligule membranous and hairless, about 1 mm long; glumes purplish in the lower half; lemma to 3 mm long, without a cylindrical crown at the top; awn straight or obscurely twice bent, 2–3.5 cm long, attached off-centre to seed and remaining attached at maturity; open seedheads drooping over tussocks then detaching as a whole at maturity.

Dispersal: Spread by seed, mainly while in seedheads which break off at base and are carried by wind. Seeds are also moved by water, animals and in contaminated feed.

Open seedhead with purplish glumes, Goulburn, NSW, Oct
Inset: Tussock

Notes: Unpalatable to stock, and a major pastoral weed. Not limited by soil type or fertility. Appears to be limited to areas where the average temperature in the warmest month is less than 30°C. The earliest naturalised vouchered specimen was collected near Yass in 1936. This species is also a weed in its native range and in South Africa, New Zealand and the USA.

References:

Noxious Weeds of Australia. W. Parsons and E. Cuthbertson, 1992, pages 111–115. Biology of Australian Weeds. R. Groves et al. Vol. 1, 1995, pages 189–202.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Distinctive drooping tussocks
Bacchus Marsh, December

photo J.R. Hosking

Left: seed
Right: On hillside, Goulburn, NSW

illustration: E. Mayfield

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G14

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Serrated Tussock

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Spiny Burrgrass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Spiny Burrgrass

Spiny Burrgrass

Cenchrus longispinus

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Bohena Beauty, Gentle Annie, Innocent Weed.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native of North America.

Flowers/Seedhead: A cylindrical spike. Flowers summer and autumn.

Description: Erect or spreading tufted annual grass to 60 (rarely to 90) cm high. Stems may root at lower nodes, hairless. Leaves 3–7 mm wide, ligule a fringed membrane.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by top of the spikelets protruding above the top of the burr (but still shorter than the spines); burrs 5–8 mm long usually with more than 40 spines that are almost circular in cross-section in the upper half and with base of larger spines rarely wider than 1 mm, without ring of smaller bristles around base of burr.

Dispersal: Spread by seed in burrs. Burrs are spread attached to animals, clothing and bags, and burrs float and are moved by water.

Confused With: Other Cenchrus species, see taxonomic texts for detailed distinguishing features.

Grass with cylindrical spikes of burrs

Notes: Common in arid areas on light soils. Burrs reduce the value of wool and make shearing hazardous. Spines of burrs also penetrate hides lowering hide value. Burrs are also a problem with drying of fruit on drying racks.

References:

Noxious Weeds of Australia. W. Parsons and E. Cuthbertson, 1992, pages 97–100. Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, pages500–502. Flora of Victoria. N. Walsh and T. Entwisle (eds), Vol. 2, 1994, pages 614–615.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Top: Burrs of Cenchrus longispinus
Bottom: Cenchrus incertus

Burr showing slender & broad-based spines

photo P.Abell

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G15

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Spiny Burrgrass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - African Feather Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > African Feather Grass

African Feather Grass

Pennisetum macrourum

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native of southern Africa.

Flowers/Seedhead: A compact spike to 30 cm long and to 2 cm wide. Flowers spring to autumn.

Description: Tufted rhizomatous perennial to 2 m high. Leaf blades to 12 mm wide and to 60 cm long; ligule a fringe of hairs to 2.5 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by cylindrical seedhead; spikelets to 6 mm long surrounded at base by bristles 10–15 mm long that are rough to touch, not joined at the base and with 1 bristle longer and thicker than the rest.

Dispersal: Spreading mainly by rhizomes, and pieces transported after excavation. Spikelets fall with attached bristles that readily cling to clothes and wool. Spikelets are also spread by water and wind. Sometimes spread as an ornamental.

Confused With: Other Pennisetum species, see taxonomic texts for detailed distinguishing features.

Erect seedheads & leaves, Frankston,
Victoria, December

photo J.R. Hosking

Notes: Possibly introduced to Australia in hay brought back with horses after the Boer War. Spring and summer growing grass that is drought resistant, has low palatability, harbours rabbits, is a fire hazard and restricts access to watercourses. Often found on sandy soils.

References:

Noxious Weeds of Australia.W. Parsons and E. Cuthbertson, 1992, pages 116–118. Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, pages 497–500. Flora of Victoria. N.Walsh and T. Entwisle (eds), Vol. 2, 1994, pages 611–612.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Cylindrical seedheads with bristles around
spikelets (seedhead bent for photo)

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G16

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > African Feather Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Coolatai Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Coolatai Grass

Coolatai Grass

Hyparrhenia hirta

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Tambookie Grass.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native of Africa and the Mediterranean region.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead to 90 cm long. Flowers all year round.

Description: Tufted perennial to 1.2 (rarely to 1.5) m high. Leaves 2–4 mm wide, green to blue-green, often with a whitish bloom; ligule 2–4 mm long. Spikelets in pairs, mostly with the lower spikelet sessile, 3–7 mm long and with or without an awn 10–25 (rarely to 35) mm long, the other spikelet 3–7 mm long, on a stalk and awnless.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by paired racemes; racemes 1.5–5 cm long with 5–13 awned spikelets; spikelets with whitish hairs.

Dispersal: Spread by seed.

Confused With: Hyparrhenia filipendula, Tambookie Grass, which usually has 2 awns per raceme and Hyparrhenia rufa, Jaragua Grass, which usually has reddish brown hairs on spikelets.

Spikelets with whitish hairs

Notes: Introduced for soil stabilisation in the Coolatai area. Locally abundant on the north western slopes of New South Wales and adjacent areas in Queensland but spreading to other areas and locally dominant on roadsides where it is displacing most other grasses and herbs. Now invading pasture areas. Not favoured by stock but a useful feed if not allowed to seed. Regrows rapidly from the crown following fire.

References:

Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, pages 497–500. AusGrass: grasses of Austalia. D. Sharp & B. Simon, 2002.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Paired racemes, Sandon Point, NSW, May

Dominating roadside, Tamworth, NSW

photo J.R. Hosking

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G17

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Coolatai Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Torpedo Grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Torpedo Grass

Torpedo Grass

Panicum repens

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native of southern Europe, Mediterranean Islands and Asia, widely naturalised and exact native range obscure.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead to 25 cm long. Spikelets 2.2–2.6 mm long. Flowers summer.

Description: Rhizomatous perennial grass to 1.2 m high. Leaf sheath (around stem at base of leaf blade) hairless or hairy; leaf blade to 25 cm long and to 8 mm wide, hairy towards the base; rim of hairs on membrane at the base of the leaf blade (ligule) to 0.8 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by long rhizomes with tips and buds covered with hard scales; spikelets solitary; lower floret male; upper floret bisexual and with smooth and shiny lemma; lower glume 20–35% of spikelet length.

Dispersal: Spread by seed and movement of rhizomes.

Confused With: Other Panicum species, see taxonomic texts for detailed distinguishing features.

Hairy leaf base & mature seedhead Sept

Notes: Summer growing weed that grows on the margins of wetlands and watercourses. Major weed of wetlands in Florida, USA and potentially a serious weed in warm temperate and tropical Australia.

References:

Waterplants in Australia. G. Sainty and S. Jacobs, 4th edition, 2003, pages 186–187. Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, page 488.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Grahamstown Reservoir,
Raymond Terrace, NSW, Aug

Raymond Terrace,
NSW, Dec

Robust rhizome

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G18

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Torpedo Grass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Cane Needlegrass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Cane Needlegrass

Cane Needlegrass

Nassella hyalina

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

THIS PLANT IS ON THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT LIST
http://www.weeds.gov.au/weeds/lists/alert.html

Alternative Name(s): Stipa hyalina.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native of Argentina, south eastern Brazil and Uruguay.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead a contracted panicle to about 20 cm long; glumes 9–12 mm long; end of lemma near callus with hairs, callus about 0.7 mm long; awns twice bent. Flowers spring and summer.

Description: Tufted perennial grass to 1.5 m high. Leaf blades to 4 mm wide; ligule to 2 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by nodes without hairs; glumes translucent to straw-coloured; cylindrical crown (corona) at the top of the lemma around the base of the awn, lemma 3.5–5 mm long, awns 3.5–4 cm long.

Dispersal: Spreads by movement of seeds produced in the seedheads and inside the stems above the nodes of flowering shoots.

Seedhead, node & ligule Thomastown, Vic, Dec.

Photos J. R. Hosking. Illustration adapted from Flora of Victoria

Notes: Uncommon in New South Wales but apparently reasonably common in the outer northern and western suburbs of Melbourne. Minor weed of neglected and urban land. Generally avoided by stock but will be eaten if more palatable grasses are not present.

References:

Plant Protection Quarterly. N.Walsh, 1998, Vol. 13, pages 59–62. Plant Protection Quarterly. D. McLaren et al., 1998, Vol. 13, pages 62–70. Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, pages 638–639.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Seed & twisted awn.

Seeds

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G19

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Cane Needlegrass

SITE MAP

Site Map

Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Longstyle feather grass

Weed Identification

Australia > > Longstyle feather grass

Longstyle feather grass

Pennisetum villosum

Pictorial glossary of plant part terms used in this guide.

Alternative Name(s): Feathertop, White Foxtail.

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead is a dense spike 2–12 cm long and to 2 cm wide. Flowers summer and autumn.

Description: Tufted rhizomatous perennial grass to 90 cm high. Leaves to 6 mm wide and to 30 cm long; ligule a fringe of hairs to 2 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by cylindrical seedhead; spikelets 9–14 mm long and surrounded at base by light green or white (rarely purplish) bristles 3–7 cm long, inner bristles feather-like, bristles not joined at the base.

Dispersal: Spread by rhizomes and seed.

Confused With: Other Pennisetum species.

Cylindrical seedheads with feathery bristles
Oakey, Qld, May

Notes: Originally introduced as an ornamental, now widespread and locally common on roadsides and neglected land. Unpalatable to stock and increases in infested pasture. This grass is also naturalised in New Zealand, North and South America, Asia, South Africa, Italy and the Azores.

References:

Noxious Weeds of Australia. W. Parsons and E. Cuthbertson, 1992, pages 121–123.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

White mature heads
Dubbo, NSW, March

photo J.J. Dellow

Infestation, Duri, NSW, March

photo J.R.Hosking

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G20

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

Australia > > Longstyle feather grass

SITE MAP

Site Map