Download Senegal Tea Plant

June 2011
Senegal Tea Plant
Gymnocoronis spilanthoides
WHAT IS IT?
A highly invasive terrestrial or aquatic
herbaceous plant
It grows very quickly forming dense
stands of vegetation that can float on
still or very slow-moving fresh water, or
grow as a bush on wet, marshy soils
Native to North and South America, it
has a wide climate tolerance and has
been recorded at localised sites in most
Australian States
If not controlled, It will become a major
weed of wetlands
Also known as: temple plant, spade leaf
plant, senegal tea
Synonym: Alomia spilanthoides.
Senegal Tea Plant - Robert Videki, Doronicum Kft.
Bugwood.org
WHY IS IT A PROBLEM?
Poses a significant risk to wetland
ecosystems
Displaces native flora, and the fauna,
that depend on native flora for food and
shelter
Blocks waterways, affecting recreational
activities, irrigation and navigation
Decline in water quality may occur if
large amounts of vegetation die off and
rot under water
Infestation: Robert Videki, Doronicum Kft. Bugwood.org
What are State Alert Weeds?
These are invasive weeds that are not known to be in South Australia, or if present, occur in low numbers in a restricted
area, and are still capable of being eradicated. An Alert Weed would pose a serious threat to the State’s primary industries,
natural environments or human health if it became established here. All Alert Weeds are declared under the Natural
Resources Management Act 2004: their transport and sale are prohibited (Sect. 175 and 177), plants must be destroyed
(Sect. 182), and if found on your land their presence must be notified to NRM authorities (Sect. 180) – refer overleaf.
DESCRIPTION
An aquatic perennial herb that forms a tangled floating mat when in water, or a
rounded shrub 1 - 2.5 m tall when growing on stream banks or marshes. Dark
green leaves grow in opposite pairs on stems that are hollow and 6-sided when
mature, and produce floating stems up to 2.5 m long. Spherical white flower
heads are approximately 20 mm in diameter, and seeds are ribbed and goldenbrown.
HOW IT SPREADS
Spreads either by waterborne seed, which attaches to animals and machinery,
and vegetatively where the stems break-away and are transported in much the
same way. It is usually spread by the careless disposal of water garden plants
into waterways or by deliberate cultivation for sale.
Flower buds and spent flowers - Robert
Videki, Doronicum Kft. Bugwood.org
HABITAT
Grows as a sprawling plant in shallow and slow-flowing water – e.g. margins of
dams and creeks, wetlands, particularly degraded waterways - or as a shrub on
wet, marshy soils.
ORIGIN
Senegal tea plant is native to South America (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina,
Paraguay and Uruguay), and North America (Mexico).
DISTRIBUTION IN AUSTRALIA
Current: Naturalised in NSW and more recently in Queensland and Victoria.
Restricted to isolated outbreaks in parts of eastern Australia, from south-eastern
Queensland, coastal district of northern and central NSW, and central Victoria.
Hollow stems. Robert Videki,
Doronicum Kft. Bugwood.org
Potential: Has spread in eastern Australia to central Victoria, and could invade
streams and dams in the Mount Lofty Ranges or Kangaroo Island in South
Australia.
HOW IT GOT HERE
Introduced into Australia from India around 1975, it was first recorded as
growing in the wild in the Manning River near Taree, New South Wales in 1980.
Not yet naturalised in South Australia.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Be on the alert for this plant using this Fact Sheet as a guide. If you see a
suspicious plant that may be this State Alert Weed, please report it to your local
Natural Resources Management (NRM) Board, (contact details at
www.nrm.sa.gov.au). For more information on weeds, including Alerts,
contact your local NRM Board or visit either www.pir.sa.gov.au/biosecurity
(phone 08 8303 9620) or www.weeds.org.au.
DISTRIBUTION
Current distribution based on herbarium
records
Potential distribution based on climate
modelling
Disclaimer: This publication is provided for the purpose of disseminating information relating to scientific and technical
matters. The Government of South Australia does not accept liability for any loss and/or damage, including financial
loss, resulting from the reliance upon any information, advice or recommendations contained in this publication. The
contents of this publication should not necessarily be taken to represent the views of the participating organisations.