weed spotters network queensland · 2014/2015 weeds since the 1980s when she financial year. newly...
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Weed Spotters’ Network Queensland
Bulletin September 2015
New Weeds for Queensland
Each year Weed Spotters and botanists discover, collect, document and map exotic species which are ‘naturalising’ for the first time (ie. becoming established, flowering and fruiting without human assistance). Some newly naturalised species have previously been recorded in Queensland, but not outside of cultivation. Other newly naturalised species may have been suspected of becoming weedy for some time and as such, have been previously recorded as ‘doubtfully naturalised’. Listed below are the newly naturalised weeds recorded in Queensland for the 2014/2015 financial year.
Newly naturalised species for Queensland July 2014–June 2015,
not previously known in Queensland
*Celosia elegantissima (cockscomb)
Newly naturalised species for Queensland July 2014–June 2015, previously recorded as ‘doubtfully naturalised’ in Queensland *Caladium bicolor (elephant ear) *Cardiospermum halicacabum var. microcarpum (heartseed) *Citrus x aurantiifolia (key lime) *Diodia teres (rough buttonweed) *Festuca pratensis (meadow fescue) *Populus alba (white poplar) *Salvia hispanica (chia) *Sherardia arvensis (blue fieldmadder) *Steinchisma laxa (a grass) *Stylosanthes guianensis var. intermedia (fine-stemmed stylo) *Veronica anagallis-aquatica (water speedwell)
Upcoming weed spotter training
Emerald: late October 2015.
Sunshine Coast: November 2015.
Brisbane: November 2015.
Please email [email protected] or phone
(07) 3896 9323 if you would like to attend.
Weed botanist profile: Barbara Waterhouse
Barbara Waterhouse is a senior
botanist with The Northern Australia
Quarantine Strategy (NAQS), part
of the Australian Department of
Agriculture. Barbara has worked on
weeds since the 1980s when she
documented the ecological impacts
of Scottish broom (Cytisus
scoparius) on native vegetation at
Barrington Tops. She has worked
as a NAQS botanist since 1990.
NAQS was established in 1989 and
provides an early warning system
for exotic pest, weed and disease
detections across northern
Australia’s 10,000 kms of coastline,
inlets and islands. Early detection
offers the best prospects for
management of all new invasive
pests and Barbara believes that
everyone has a role to play.
Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation
Page 2 of 8 www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/plants/herbarium/weeds/ September 2015
If you think you have seen bridal creeper or telegraph
weed growing in your region, please contact the
Queensland Herbarium on (07) 3896 9323, email a photo
to: [email protected] or contact
Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23. Fig. 4. G. Leiper
Class 1 declared plant: Asparagus asparagoides (bridal creeper)
Bridal creeper is a Class 1 declared pest plant and a Weed of National
Significance (WONS) that is naturalised in South East Queensland. It is
a smothering vine with twisting stems growing up to 3 m in length.
Multiple stems emerge from underground tubers and twine around the
surrounding vegetation, smothering it. These tubers can form a thick
underground layer which can exclude the roots of other plants and
prevent seedlings from germinating.
Bridal creeper leaves are alternate,
sessile (no leaf stalk), broadly ovate
to heart-shaped and glossy green
with parallel veins (fig. 1). Its flowers appear in August and September
and are dainty and white (8–9 mm) (fig. 2). Immature pea-like green
berries ripen to be red and sticky (6–10 mm) with two or three shiny
black seeds in each (3–4 mm). These can be dispersed by fauna
(particularly birds) and through contaminated soil. Seed germination
occurs in autumn and early winter but unusually, the plant then
becomes dormant over summer, commencing growing again the
following autumn. Read more about bridal creeper in the September 2013 bulletin.
Class 2 declared plant: Heterotheca grandiflora (telegraph weed)
Telegraph weed thrives on sandy soils in unshaded, exposed and
disturbed situations and can form dense infestations on coastal sand
dunes, competing with native dune vegetation. It can grow as an annual or
short-lived perennial herb to a height of 2 m (fig. 3). It is generally single
stemmed, but can be branched from the base. Leaves are toothed,
alternate, ovate to oblong and 2–8 cm long x 1–3.5 cm wide.
Lower leaves have a petiole (stalk) and two ‘ear like’ lobes at their base
which clasp the stem while upper leaves have neither a petiole nor
clasping lobes. The stems and leaves are covered in fine, white sticky
hairs and when crushed, the leaves produce a strong odour, giving it its
local name on South Stradbroke Island of ‘stink daisy’.
Telegraph weed flowerheads are
yellow and daisy-like (15–22 mm wide)
(fig.4) and each flowerhead produces
many seeds 2–5 mm long with a hairy pappus (parachute). These
seeds are able to stick to shoes, clothes and beach towels, but are also
easily spread by wind, animals or water. Read more about telegraph
weed in the September 2014 bulletin.
Fig. 1 Photo: S. Navie
Fig. 2 Photo: S. Navie
Fig. 3 Photo: S. Navie
Weed Spotters' Network Queensland
Page 3 of 8
If you think you have seen kochia growing in your
region, please contact the Queensland Herbarium
on (07) 3896 9323, email a photo to:
[email protected] or contact
Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.
Class 1 declared plant: Bassia scoparia (syn. Kochia scoparia) (kochia)
Kochia (fig. 1) is a Class 1 declared pest plant native to
eastern Europe and Asia. It is a weed across Europe, Africa,
New Zealand, Canada, North and South America, southern
Australia and is a serious pest of grain crops and pastures. It
has not been recorded as naturalised in Queensland. Kochia
was introduced to Western Australia in 1990 to rehabilitate
salt-affected agricultural lands but quickly became weedy. It
was also found to be toxic to stock if eaten in large quantities.
Kochia is able to out-compete native species and alter fire
regimes. Some cultivars are grown ornamentally as the foliage
turns orange or red in autumn (fig. 2). Kochia may be found
growing along roadsides, fence lines, in fields and crops and
in other disturbed places in semi-arid regions. It is very
tolerant of drought and a range of soil types, including saline
soils.
Kochia is an upright annual herb reaching a height of up to 2 m
in just one season (fig. 1). It has a deep taproot. Its leaves are
often hairy, grey-green, alternate with entire margins to 50 mm
long and 8 mm wide. The upper leaves sometimes lack hairs.
The flowers are small (2 mm) and are held in clusters close to
the stems at the end of the branches (fig. 3). The flowers do
not have obvious petals. Fruits are star-shaped, 2 mm wide,
and contain a single, flattened seed.
A single plant can
produce 14,600 seeds
per year, however, most of
the wedge-shaped seeds are only viable in the soil for about one
year. The whole plant turns brown, orange or red in the autumn.
When the plant dies, it rolls across the ground like a tumbleweed,
blown by the wind and distributes seed to new sites up to several
kilometres away.
Kochia is very difficult to distinguish from
native salt-bushes in the family
Chenopodiaceae. It may look similar to the
native Salsola australis (figs. 4 and 5) which
has fleshy, narrow, spine tipped upper leaves that are grooved.
Seeds of Salsola and other native species of Chenopod are
also dispersed as tumbleweeds that are blown across the soil
surface.
Fig. 1 Photo: www.floramendocina.com.ar
Fig. 2 Photo: Moonik
Fig. 3 Photo: Jan Samanek
Figs. 4 and 5 Photo: Harry Rose
Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation
Page 4 of 8 www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/plants/herbarium/weeds/ September 2015
Keep an eye out for these weeds in September…
Species Common
name
Watch for in this region Field attributes
to look for
#Acaciella glauca
(July 2014 bulletin)
redwood South East Queensland, Burnett/Mary,
Cape York, Fitzroy Basin, Mackay
Whitsunday, Torres Strait, Dry Tropics
white ball-shaped
flowers, creek lines
and dry tropics
#Asparagus asparagoides
(September 2013 bulletin)
bridal creeper Condamine, Queensland Murray
Darling Region
broad glossy leaves,
small white flowers
#Chromolaena odorata/
C. squalida
(May 2013 bulletin)
Siam weed South East Queensland, Burnett/Mary,
Cape York, Fitzroy Basin, Northern
Gulf, Mackay Whitsunday, Torres
Strait, Wet Tropics, Dry tropics
pale lilac/white
flowers, triangular
leaves with 3
prominent veins
#Cylindropuntia prolifera
(August 2014 bulletin)
jumping or
coastal cholla
Fitzroy Basin, Desert Channels,
Southern Gulf, Dry Tropics, South
West Queensland
spines to 2 cm long
#Cylindropuntia tunicata/
#C. rosea
(July 2013 bulletin)
chain-link cactus/
Hudsons pear
Fitzroy Basin, Desert Channels,
Southern Gulf, Dry Tropics, South
West Queensland
long spreading
spines
#Eichhornia azurea/
E. crassipes
(October 2014 bulletin)
water hyacinth Desert Channels, Queensland Murray
Darling Region, Condamine, South
West Queensland
water bodies,
floating, purple
flowers
Elephantopus mollis
(March 2015 bulletin)
tobacco weed South East Queensland, Burnett/Mary daisy to 1 m tall,
flowers white or pink
#Equisetum spp.
(July 2013 bulletin)
horsetails South East Queensland primitive plant, no
flowers, leaves
reduced
Heterotheca grandiflora
(September 2014 bulletin)
telegraph weed South East Queensland daisy to 2 m, flowers
yellow
Hymenachne amplexicaulis
(June 2013 bulletin)
hymenachne Desert Channels, Queensland Murray
Darling Region, Condamine , South
West Queensland
robust grass to
2.5 m, water bodies
& drains
#Limnocharis flava
(October 2013 bulletin)
yellow burrhead South East Queensland, Burnett/Mary,
Cape York, Mackay Whitsunday,
Torres Strait, Wet Tropics, Dry Tropics
water bodies &
margins, yellow
flowers & triangular
stems
#Mikania micrantha
(November 2013 bulletin)
mikania vine South East Queensland, Burnett/Mary,
Cape York, Mackay Whitsunday,
Torres Strait, Wet Tropics, Dry Tropics
heart shaped leaf &
smothering habit
Weed Spotters' Network Queensland
Page 5 of 8
Species (cont.) Common
name
Watch for in this region Field attributes
to look for
#Mimosa pigra
(August 2013 bulletin)
giant sensitive
tree
South East Queensland, Burnett/Mary,
Cape York, Southern Gulf, Northern
Gulf, Mackay Whitsunday, Torres
Strait, Wet Tropics, Dry Tropics
ferny leaves, rose-
like thorns, pink ball-
shaped flowers
Pistia stratiotes
(November 2014 bulletin)
water lettuce Desert Channels, Queensland Murray
Darling Region, Condamine, South
West Queensland
water bodies,
resembles a small
open lettuce
Pueraria montana var. lobata
(February 2015 bulletin)
kudzu South East Queensland, Burnett/Mary vine with fragrant
purple-pink flowers
Salvinia molesta
(November 2013 bulletin)
salvinia Desert Channels, Queensland Murray
Darling Region, Condamine, South
West Queensland
water bodies, leaves
with water repellent
hairs
Senecio madagascariensis
(August 2014 bulletin)
fireweed Wet Tropics daisy to 60 cm,
flowers yellow
#Senegalia insuavis
(April 2014 bulletin)
pennata wattle or
cha-om
Cape York, Mackay Whitsunday,
Torres Strait, Wet Tropics, South East
Queensland, Burnett/Mary
pink ball-shaped
flowers, prickles
along stems
#Senegalia rugata
(April 2015 bulletin)
soap pod Cape York, Mackay Whitsunday,
Torres Strait, Wet Tropics
pink ball-shaped
flowers, prickles
along stems
Solanum viarum
(April 2013 bulletin)
tropical soda
apple
Burnett/Mary, Fitzroy Basin, Northern
Gulf, Mackay Whitsunday, Dry Tropics
variegated cherry
tomato, thorny
leaves, look in sale
yards, abattoirs
#Vachellia karroo
(May 2013 bulletin)
karroo thorn South East Queensland, Fitzroy Basin,
Desert Channels, Queensland Murray
Darling Region, Condamine, South
West Queensland
long, white, paired
thorns
#Vachellia xanthopholoea
(September 2013 bulletin)
yellow fever tree South East Queensland, Fitzroy Basin,
Desert Channels, Southern Gulf,
Northern Gulf
long, white, paired
thorns
# Class 1 declared plant
Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation
Page 6 of 8 www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/plants/herbarium/weeds/ September 2015
If you think you have seen yellow fever tree growing in your region, please contact the Queensland
Herbarium on (07) 3896 9323, email a photo to: [email protected] or contact
Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.
Notifications – August 2015
Finding and reporting emerging weeds which could cause serious environmental, social and economic
impacts across Queensland is a critical role of our network. Putting them on the map also means we can
track their spread and the effectiveness of control measures across the landscape and through time.
If you see a plant in your region which raises your suspicions, please collect it and bring it to the attention of
your regional coordinator and/or the Queensland Herbarium. You can find a full list of the declared plants of
Queensland on the Biosecurity Queensland website. (WONS=Weed of National Significance;
NAQS=Northern Australian Quarantine Survey; NEAL=National Environmental Alert List)
1. Class 2/WONS Annona glabra L. (pond apple) from Smithfield, Cairns. Yvonne Nicholl, Cairns
Urban Landcare.
2. Class 1 weed/WONS Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce (bridal creeper) from Stanthorpe. Craig
Magnussen, Southern Downs Regional Council.
3. WONS Austrocylindropuntia subulata (Muehlenpf.) Backeb. (Eve’s pin cactus) from Torquay, Fraser
Coast. Juliet Musgrave, Fraser Coast Regional Council.
4. Class 1 weed/NAQS/NEAL Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M.King & H.Rob. (Siam weed) adjacent to
Cromarty Wetlands, near Townsville. Leigh Benson, NPSR.
5. Class 2 weed/WONS Cylindropuntia imbricata (Haw.) F.M.Knuth (devil’s rope cactus) from Thargomindah. James Theuerkauf, Bulloo Shire Council.
6. Class 1 weed Nassella tenuissima (Trin.) Barkworth (Mexican feather grass). Quarantine
interception at Port of Brisbane, no incursion. Craig Marston, Department of Agriculture.
7. Class 1 weed Thunbergia fragrans Roxb. (white Thunbergia) from Mundingburra, Townsville. Peter Brock.
Class 1 declared plants: Vachellia xanthophloea (yellow fever tree)
Yellow fever tree (Vachellia xanthophloea) can reach a height
of 10–25 m. It has distinctively smooth, slightly flaky bark
covered in a greenish-yellow powder which can be removed
from the underlying green bark by rubbing. The leaves are
bipinnate and each leaflet is quite small (2.5–6.5 mm long x
0.75–1.75 mm wide). It grows long, white spines arranged in
pairs. Yellow, spherical flowers are clustered in the axils of
these spines and are very fragrant. These then turn into flat,
papery, brown pods 5–19 cm long which can take up to 6
months to mature. Read more about yellow fever tree in the
September 2013 bulletin.
Weed Spotters' Network Queensland
Page 7 of 8
Your regional coordinators Regional coordinators are your local weed experts and are able to answer your questions about training,
specimen preparation and weed identification in your area. Give them a call!
Brisbane and WSNQ coordinator
Melinda Laidlaw
Queensland Herbarium
(07) 3896 9323
Bundaberg
Paul Garland
DAF, Biosecurity Queensland
(07) 4131 5821
Cairns and Tablelands
Stephen McKenna
Commonwealth Department of Agriculture
(07) 4241 7836
Cape York
Gerry Turpin
Australian Tropical Herbarium
(07) 4232 1808
Charleville
Daniel McCudden
DAF, Biosecurity Queensland
(07) 4654 4200, 0418 735 941
Cloncurry, Mt Isa & Gulf Catchments
Nathan Morgan
DAF, Biosecurity Queensland
(07) 4742 1311, 0409 493 234
Dalby, Darling Downs & Maranoa
Craig Hunter
DAF, Biosecurity Queensland
(07) 4669 0828, 0428 584 908
Darling Downs and Qld Murray-Darling Basin
Sandy Robertson
QMDC
0428 710 690
Emerald & Central Highlands
Bernie Claussen
CHRRUP
(07) 4982 2996, 0409 522 297
Fraser Coast
Juliet Musgrave
Fraser Coast Regional Council
(07) 4197 4350, 0409 891 072
Fraser Coast
Col Zemek
Fraser Coast Regional Council
(07) 4197 4304, 0427 125 338
Gladstone
Lindsay Boyd
Gladstone Regional Council
(07) 4970 0700, 0408 774 181
Gold Coast
Kate Heffernan
Friends of the Gold Coast
Regional Botanic Gardens
0404 853 043
Granite Belt and Border Rivers
John Conroy
DAF, Biosecurity Queensland
(07) 4671 6706, 0429 475 385
Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation
Page 8 of 8 www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/plants/herbarium/weeds/ September 2015
Weed Spotters’ Network Queensland is a joint project between the Queensland Herbarium, the
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and local governments with funding support from
the Land Protection Fund
Gympie and Sunshine Coast
Ernie Rider
Gympie & District Landcare Group
(07) 5483 8866, 0468 312 345
Longreach & Desert Channels
Helen Cross
Desert Channels
(07) 4652 7829
Mackay
Lalith Gunasekera
DAF, Biosecurity Queensland
(07) 4967 0602
Mareeba and Northern Goldfields
Scott Middleton
DAF, Biosecurity Queensland
(07) 4048 4728, 0488 423 539
Rockhampton
Peter MacCallum
Rockhampton Regional Council
(07) 4931 5497; 0407 957 694
Roma
Graham Hardwick
0427 123 943
Toowoomba
Kym Campbell
Condamine Alliance
(07) 4620 0138 , 0409 768 191
Townsville
Nanette Hooker
James Cook University
0439 410 772