Download Priority weeds for the Tasman Peninsula

Priority weeds for the Tasman Peninsula
what they look like * where you‟ll find them * how and when to control them
Information in this document:
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Will identify priority weeds for the Tasman Peninsula
Will help you identify these weeds in the field, your neighbourhood, and your
backyard
Will provide tips on how to distinguish these weeds from other plants
Will provide information on control methods for the target weeds
Will discuss how and when to collect information on weeds, and what to do with it
once you‟ve collected it.
Will provide you with the opportunity to ask a professional weed contractor anything
you‟d like to know about controlling weeds in your area.
Prepared by A. Meiss for Tasman Council and Tasman Landcare Group, for a presentation as
part of the Tasman Catchment Coastal Community Project 2011-2013, with funding from the
Australian Government.
The information provided is a guide only, please check with the Department of Primary Industries,
Parks, Water and Environment to ensure correct use of herbicides and techniques. It is the user's
responsibility to check that registration or an off-label permit covers the proposed use. Always read
the herbicide label.
Priority weeds for the Tasman Peninsula
Weeds of National Significance (WoNS)
20 WoNS nationwide
6 WoNS on the Tasman Peninsula:
• Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
• Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
• Asparagus weeds (Asparagus spp.)
• Serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma)
• Willows (Salix spp.)
• Boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera)
Priority weeds - declared under Tasmanian Weed Management Act 1999
Herbs (non-woody plants that aren’t grasses)
• Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)
• Paterson‟s Curse (Echium plantagineum)
• St. John‟s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
• Amsinckia (Amsinckia spp.)
• White weed (Lepidium draba)
• Slender thistle (Carduus tenuiflorus)
• Californian Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
• Orange Hawkweed (Hieracium auranticum)
• Stinking Mayweed (Anthemis cotula)
More priority weeds
Grasses and lilies
• Pampas grasses (Cortaderia species)
• African love grass (Eragrostis curvula)
• African feather grass (Pennisetum macrourum)
• Monbretia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora)
• Cumbungi (Typha latifolia)
Trees and shrubs
• Canary broom (Genista monspessulana)
• English broom (Cystisus scoparius)
• Elisha‟s Tears (Leycesteria formosa)
• Spanish heath (Erica lusitanica)
General rules for weed control
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Know your enemy – without successful weed ID, you can‟t be sure you‟re using the
right technique, or even targeting the right plant
If you only control a site once, you’re wasting your time – most weed control is a
long term project
Weeds don’t respect boundaries – some populations will need cooperative
approaches to control with other land managers.
Weeds love bare patches - minimize soil and vegetation disturbance when working
to minimize the number of weeds you‟ll have to control - and replant where
necessary.
Always follow the label - read the labels on any herbicides you use - they‟re not just
there for decoration.
Think about off-target damage - will your work affect local water ways, native
plants or animals, or create a public safety issue?
Keep up your good weed hygiene practices – a few minutes spent cleaning
equipment can save days of work in years to come.
Know where to get the right information to control target weeds – general
information available at the DPIPWE website – www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/weeds
If you’re not sure what it is, take a photo and/or bring a sample back for
identification, as well as details of where you found it.
Gorse
(Ulex europaeus)
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Gorse is a Weed of National Significance (WoNS)
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Widespread in Tasmania
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Aggressive invader of farmland, disturbed areas, and many types of native vegetation.
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Fire hazard and a haven for feral pests like rabbits.
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Seriously reduces farm productivity through reducing stock access - DPIPWE
estimates that gorse alone costs Tasmania $1 million/year in lost production.
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Known only in isolated spots on the Tasman (Palmer‟s Lookout, Murdunna)
What does gorse look like?
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Upright, very prickly shrub growing up to 3 m tall, often in large thickets.
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Deep and extensive root system helps it recover after fire.
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Leaves are linear, spiraling around the stems, 6 -15 mm long and 0.5 - 2 mm wide,
ending in a sharp spine that can cause nasty infections if lodged in the skin.
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Flowers are single, yellow and pea-like.
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Pods are grey and hairy, 10 – 20 mm long, and hold 3 - 4 black to brown seeds.
Not to be confused with…
Native gorse (Daviesia ulicifolia), which has similarly sharp leaves and yellow and brown
flowers.
Native gorse is a fair bit stragglier looking than genuine gorse, and is more open, branching
and a bit smaller.
Also, native gorse flowers are purplish or brown at the base.
Control methods for gorse
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Prevention is the most cost effective means of controlling gorse – take special care
not to spread the seeds around on dirty equipment.
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The key to controlling the spread of gorse is to prevent flowering or at least
reduce its ability to set seed.
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Tackle the small, outlying infestations first. This allows a bigger area of land to be
cleaned up first and there will be less follow-up maintenance in these areas as the
seedbank will be smaller.
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Where gorse crosses property boundaries, any eradication efforts should be
coordinated with neighbouring landholders to completely destroy all plants in the area
and prevent reinfestation.
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Seeds can remain dormant in the soil for up to thirty years, making eradication a very
long term exercise.
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Mechanical control can be useful for controlling large populations – bulldozers or
tractors can be used to initially clear an area – regrowth can be controlled with
herbicide applications.
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Herbicides can be applied either directly to the leaves when plants are at least 50 cm
tall, or by cut and painting. Appropriate herbicides for gorse control include
glyphosate (i.e.; Roundup ® products), metsulfuron (Brush-Off ®), triclopyr (Garlon
® products) or triclopyr+picloram+aminopyralid (Grazon Extra ®).
Blackberry
(Rubus fruticosus agg.)
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Is a WoNS
Costs Australian agriculture $41.5 million dollars every year
Occupies 8.8 million hectares
Impact on agricultural systems and native vegetation, mostly in areas that are
seasonally moist.
Forms dense thickets which prevent access, injure people and animals, increase fire
risk, and harbour feral animals.
At least 15 different types in Australia.
Lots all over the Tasman
What does it look like?
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Forms dense thickets, often smothering or scrambling up other plants.
Leaves have serrated edges, and often bear prickles on the leaf stems.
Canes are five sided, reddish purple to green, covered in hooked prickles, and can
grow 8cm a day in spring.
Two types of canes - one type grow daughter plants at the tip; the other bears flowers.
White/pink five-petalled flowers form in clusters from ~ November - February.
Fruits ripen from green through red to dark purplish black fruits - can have up to 80
segments, each containing one seed, appearing on plants late summer to autumn.
Not to be confused with…
Native raspberry (Rubus parvifolius)
This plant is much smaller and less chunky than blackberry, and bears fruit that are
orange/red when ripe.
Also, look at the leaves:
- blackberry has leaves in groups of 3 or 5 which are palmately divided (ie; all leaf stalks
meet at the same place, like fingers on a hand)
- native raspberry leaves are pinnately divided - this means that they are attached to the stalk
at separate places (see picture above)
Control methods for blackberries
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Small plants can be dug out - take care to remove as many roots as possible, to
prevent resprouting.
Larger plants and dense infestations will need an integrated approach - may involve
mechanical slashing, fire and/or herbicide.
Blackberries can be controlled using products based on glyphosate (ie Roundup ®),
triclopyr (ie Garlon®) or metsulfuron methyl (Brushoff ®) and a wetting agent.
Blackberries are often found on or near waterways - for these sites, use a frog-friendly
glyphosate (ie Roundup Biactive ®, Weedmaster Duo ®).
Don‟t spray fruiting plants - it‟s dangerous and illegal.
Where fruiting blackberries need to be controlled, slash first to remove fruit, then
control regrowth.
Where blackberries are sprayed in areas that may be accessible to the public, it is a
legal requirement that these areas are clearly signposted.
Always use a marker dye when spraying blackberries - better to be safe than sorry.
Schedule works for ~ October - January to avoid spraying fruiting plants.
Asparagus weeds
Bridal creeper (Asparagus asparagoides)
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Both WONS
Both highly aggressive invaders
Both form underground root mats with tubers, that inhibit growth of native plants and
allow plants to survive harsh conditions.
Both are tolerant of a range of climates, and can tolerate dense shading.
Bridal creeper
(Asparagus asparagoides)
Distinguishing features
• Wiry, climbing stems, that zig-zag slightly at joints
• Summer deciduous (leaves die back)
• Leaves fine and shiny
• Flowers tiny, greenish white in spring
• Fruits sticky white to red berries in summer
• Roots form a tuberous mat, which allow the plant to survive harsh conditions.
Asparagus fern
(Asparagus scandens)
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Twining vine that grows year round
Keeps leaves year round
Leaves are narrower than those of bridal creeper - deep green and scale-like
Flowers small, white to pinkish, 6 petals
Fruit are round fleshy berries, green turning to orange red when ripe.
Underground root mat bears narrow tubers.
Not to be confused with…
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Tetragonia implexicoma (ice plant) or Rhagodia candolleana (coastal salt bush)
Both common native coastal plants sometimes thought to resemble bridal creeper
Tetragonia has fleshy, succulent, matt leaves - those of bridal creeper are smooth and
glossy
Rhagodia - has woody stems - bridal creeper and asparagus fern don‟t
Control methods for asparagus weeds
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Asparagus weeds are easily spread by root fragments - care should be taken not to
transport them on dirty machinery.
As the weeds are spread by birds, infestations often occur under powerlines, under
tall trees and along roadsides. Check up to several hundred metres along a corridor
where these weeds are found, to make sure all seedlings are located.
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Chemical control is recommended over digging, as this avoids the need to disturb the
roots and potentially spread the plant elsewhere.
Spraying should be undertaken when plants are actively growing in winter and spring.
Herbicides recommended for control of bridal creeper include those based on
metsulfuron methyl (ie Brushoff ®) or glyphosate (ie Roundup ®) - both will need to
be used with a wetting agent.
Asparagus fern should be controlled with glyphosate 540 (ie Powermax ®)
Report all sightings of these plants to DPIPWE immediately
Serrated tussock
(Nassella trichotoma)
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WoNS
Aggressively invades pasture and native vegetation with grassy understorey
Spreads mainly by wind - flower heads can fly for kilometres
One hectare can produce 2 tonnes or 500 million seeds every year
In NSW alone, costs $40 million annually in lost production.
Unpalatable to stock - can render grazing land useless.
This photo shows one of Tasmania‟s worst infestations, at Droughty Point, in Clarence
Municipality.
What does it look like?
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Long lived, tussock forming grass to 50cm tall
Deep fibrous root system, looks quite similar to several native grasses.
Most seedlings appear autumn or winter
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Younger plants have bright lime green, tightly in-rolled leaves. Leaf sheaths (which
wrap around the leaf bases) are pale.
Older plants take on a bleached, straw colour after frost.
Leaves are covered in microscopic, upward pointing barbs, which cause them to feel
rough to the touch.
Flower heads appear September to January, on slender stalks slightly longer than the
leaves, and are dark purple, creating a distinctive purple haze in larger infestations.
Not to be confused with…
Native grasses, especially native tussock grasses (Poa species), can look very similar to
serrated tussock when not flowering.
Unlike serrated tussock, the leaf bases of most native grasses are generally a purple or bluegreen (right) - those of serrated tussock are a whitish colour (left).
Control methods for serrated tussock
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Reduction of the amount of seed produced by serrated tussock populations is key to
successful long-term control.
Individual tussock plants or small populations can be controlled manually, by
chipping them out with a mattock.
Minimize bare patches to prevent reinvasion - disturb as little soil as possible.
Cultivation and/or cropping can be used by landholders to control large populations
of this weed.
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Chemical control of serrated tussock can be achieved by using herbicides based on
glyphosate (eg Roundup®) or flupropanate (eg Kenock®), and can be applied to
individual plants by spot-spraying, or on a broader scale by boom or aerial spraying.
Areas where plants have been removed should be monitored (serrated tussock seeds
may remain viable in the soil for up to 15 years), and any seedlings which emerge
controlled.
Report any sightings of this plant to DPIPWE
Willows
(Salix spp.)
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Many willows are WoNS
Many species of invasive willows in Tasmania - crack willow (Salix fragilis var.
fragilis) and grey sallow/pussy willows (Salix cinerea) are considered to be the worst
Willows have invaded vast areas of riverbanks and wetlands across Australia.
Aggressive weeds that spread readily by fragments, or in the case of grey sallow, also
by seed.
Capable of destroying native waterway structure and pushing out native species.
Grey sallow or wild pussy willow (Salix cinerea)
Male Catkin
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Female Catkin
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Shrub/small multi-stemmed tree, wide rounded crown.
Leaves broad, hairy, deciduous.
Male and female flowers, male: grey and yellow furry buds, female: pale green, coneshaped buds, appear late autumn-spring
Seeds are small with silky hairs on one end, ripening in summer
Dispersal: mostly by seed on wind or in water, also sprouts from broken stems
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REPORT ANY SUSPECTED SIGHTINGS OF THIS PLANT TO DPIPWE
Crack willow (Salix fragilis)
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Tasmania‟s worst non-seeding weedy willow.
Grows to 20 m, multi-stemmed.
Lance-shaped leaves, shiny dark green above, paler below.
Roots form large dense mats.
Spreads from fragments of stem or twig that float downstream and sprout on new
sites.
Was present on Hydro-managed land at Penstock Lagoon (now removed)
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Control methods for willows
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Young seedlings can be hand pulled if less than 50cm tall - easiest to spot in autumn
when leaves are yellowing
Smaller trees that can be safely removed can be cut‟n‟painted with frog friendly
glyphosate (Roundup Biactive ® or Weedmaster Duo ®)
Larger trees can be treated by drill‟n‟fill or dril‟n‟frill with frog-friendly glyphosate.
Cut or drill 2-3 cm into the sap wood around the stem and below the lowest branches.
Make sure that cuts/holes angle downwards to prevent run-off, and make sure there is
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no more than 10cm between cuts/holes. Leave tree for at least 12 months to ensure
kill.
Always take cut or broken bits of willow off-site to prevent them resprouting. If
this isn‟t possible, paint their bases with herbicide instead.
Boneseed
(Chrysanthemoides monilifera)
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WoNS
Aggressive invader of native bushland, especially in coastal areas
Shallow roots allow it to suck up the moisture from summer showers before it can
flow down to deeper rooted natives.
Without effective control, boneseed has the potential to significantly increase its range
and become much more abundant within its current range.
Present in many locations on the Tasman eg: White Beach
What does it look like?
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Woody shrub, growing up to 3 m tall, living for up to 20 years
Leaves are roughly oval shaped with serrated edges – young growth is covered with
sticky white cottony looking material
Flowers are yellow and daisy like, with 5-8 petals, up to 3 cm across
Seeds are in a green fruit which turns black when ripe
Each fruit contains one seed, which is bone coloured when dry  „boneseed‟
Control of boneseed
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Boneseed is very shallow rooted, so any smaller plants without seeds can be handpulled and left on site.
Plants with seeds should be removed and burnt.
Larger mature plants should be cut at ground level, and immediately painted with
glyphosate.
Boneseed produces lots of seeds which can stay viable in the soil for many years 
any control and monitoring efforts must continue for at least ten years.
Inform local landholders of boneseed‟s weedy status if they are growing it in their
gardens – many people don‟t know it‟s a weed.
Ragwort
(Senecio jacobaea)
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Most often a weed of poorly managed pasture and disturbed areas but can also invade
native bush
Toxic to stock and people
Naturally biennial, but changes to a perennial if constantly cut.
One plant can produce 250,000 seeds in a year.
Seeds can lay dormant for 20 years. At the end of that time 70% are still viable.
What does it look like?
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Usually single, but sometimes multi-stemmed, 45-60cm (-180 cm) tall
Leaves dark to mid-green on top, paler and sometimes downy below, up to 35 cm
long, deeply divided and wrinkled.
Flower heads bright yellow “daisy” type ~ 2.5cm across, 12 – 15 petals
Not to be confused with…
Native daisies like fireweed (Senecio linearifolius).
Ragwort‟s highly wrinkled and divided leaves are quite different to those of native Senecios.
Control methods for ragwort
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Safety gear needed for ragwort controllers: rubber/neoprene gloves, long sleeved shirt
and trousers, pollen mask if plants are flowering.
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Digging or hand-pulling OK to start with, but ragwort can resprout from root
fragments.
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Chemical control will need to continue for at least two years – plants should be
sprayed in spring and autumn with Brush-off ® or Lontrel ® if the plants are close to
flowering.
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Grazing programs can be used in pasture as part of integrated management plans.
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All flower heads, mature or not, can produce viable seed – make sure you dispose of
them properly! Flowerheads should be bagged, and burnt or deep-buried.