Download Weedeck - the deck of weed cards

WEEDeck – the deck
of weed cards
By GEOFF SAINTY and LESLIE McCULLOUGH
WEEDeck cards provide a handy
field guide to weeds across Australia. Photos by Sainty and
Associates.
W
EEDeck was an idea
developed by the Australian Weeds Committee and Sainty and
Associates. The aim is to provide a
handy field guide to weeds across
Australia.
As weeds show no regard for
State boundaries, it was considered
useful to produce a set of weed cards
that would help minimise the need
for each State to produce their own
separate sets of brochures on weeds.
WEEDeck complements brochures and other more detailed tools
that can be used to inform farmers,
graziers and land managers about
weeds.
Each card in the deck provides
photographs that display the distin-
Each card features identification and
management information for a particular weed.
Australian Farm Journal BUSH, May 2004
guishing characters needed for identification of that weed, along with
detailed descriptions and notes
about the importance of the weed.
Six categories of weeds have been
selected — grass, herb, shrub, tree,
vine, waterplant — and each category has its own distinctive colour in
the WEEDeck for easy reference in
the field.
The decks also include notes on
how to collect and press weed specimens, how to manage weeds, and a
pictorial glossary.
The cards are plastic coated and
pocket sized. They are held together
by a screw clip so that each
WEEDeck can hold about 80 cards.
This enables the user to easily fan
the cards out and flip through the
deck to identify a weed, and to add
or delete cards from their deck.
WEEDeck also includes ALERT
weeds – those weeds that are not in
Australia and that we want to keep
out.
Weeds that have limited distribution and have the potential to be contained or even eradicated, rather
than to become widespread, may
also fall into the ALERT category.
An example of this is Limnocharis
that is restricted to Cairns, or Parodi
Spike Rush restricted to one locality
near Griffith in New South Wales.
Each WEEDeck card has been
sponsored.
A number of the cards have been
sponsored by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage, with funding
from the Natural Heritage Trust.
WEEDecks can also be customized for organizations and
include only those weeds that may
occur in a particular region.
Free cards are being provided to
each Landcare group and Regional
Natural Resource Management
body.
WEEDeck is being updated and
expanded. Ultimately WEEDeck will
cover more than 200 of the most significant weeds in Australia. To date
160 cards have been produced.
To find out more about WEEDeck
and how it can help your local needs,
visit website www.weeds.org.au. To
order cards, visit website www.sainty.com.au.
Contact: Sainty and Associates, phone: (02) 9332 2661,
email: [email protected].
15
LATIN CONNECTION
Cabomba: investigating
the Latin connection
By SHON SCHOOLER
C
ABOMBA (Cabomba caroliniana), or water fanwort,
is a fast-growing submerged aquatic weed. It
has the potential to spread throughout the aquatic habitats of Australia,
and is a declared Weed of National
Significance.
It grows well in slow-moving
water bodies, particularly where
nutrient concentrations are high.
Cabomba prefers areas of permanent
standing water less than three
metres deep and is often found along
the margins of lakes and reservoirs.
However, it can also grow in deeper
water.
Cabomba is primarily found in
rivers and dams of coastal Queensland and NSW. However, isolated
populations occur from Darwin to
Victoria.
It is easily spread across drains
on water craft, boat trailers and perhaps by waterfowl. It is illegal to
propagate, move, or sell this noxious
plant.
Cabomba grows well in slow moving water bodies, such as these infestations at
Lake MacDonald, Queensland (top), and Bangalow, NSW (above). In summer flowers
appear on the surface of the water, revealing the extent of the weed’s spread. Photos by Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines (above) and NSW
Department of Agriculture.
Cabomba originates from South
America. It was brought into Australia through the aquarium trade.
The plant’s tolerance of fragmentation and ease of cultivation make it a
desirable aquarium plant.
Cabomba was then introduced into lakes and
streams, both accidentally
through the dumping of
aquarium water, and intentionally, by cultivating the
plant for later collection and
sale.
The weed is easily recogCabomba was introduced to Australia through
nised by its finely dissected
the aquarium trade. Photo by Queensland
underwater leaves that are
Department of Natural Resources and Mines.
16
feathery or fan-like in appearance.
The small flowers (two centimetres
in diameter) have six white petals
and yellow centres. They often
extend above the water’s surface,
making weed infestations more visible during the summer months.
The submerged leaves of hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) and
water milfoil (Myriophyllum spp.)
may be confused with cabomba
leaves, however neither of these
plants produces the showy emergent
flowers of cabomba.
Although cabomba produces flowers, it does not produce seeds. Reproduction is entirely vegetative, almost
Australian Farm Journal BUSH, May 2004
any fragment can grow
into a new plant.
Impact
Cabomba is also a
potential danger to
swimmers who may
become entangled in its
long, submerged stems.
▼
Cabomba
negatively
effects the environment,
Management
water quality, water management, recreational
Currently, there is little
activities and public safethat can be done to conty.
trol cabomba once it is
The weed can smother
established. Herbicides
native submerged plants,
are largely ineffective
such as pondweeds (Potaand should not be used
mogeton spp.), stoneworts
in or around public
(Chara spp.), hornwort
water supplies.
(Ceratophyllum demerSome managers are
sum), and water nymph
using floating mechani(Najas tenuifolia).
cal harvesters to remove
It can also reduce gercabomba, but these
mination of desirable
machines are expensive
native emergent (above
to buy and operate and
the surface) plants.
are restricted to areas of
Alteration of the flora
deep water and wide
has led to reduced popuchannels. In addition,
lations of platypus and
they only remove the
water rats in northern
tops of the plants and
Queensland.
the remaining stems
In southern Queenssoon grow back to the
land, cabomba appears to
surface.
negatively affect populaIt is likely that the
tions of the endangered
only method that will be
Mary River cod.
effective in reducing
Cabomba decreases
cabomba is biological
water quality for human
control. This involves
consumption by tainting
discovering and introand discolouring potable
ducing insects from the
water supplies.
weed’s country of origin
It interferes with dam
to feed specifically on the
machinery, such as
target weed and reduce
valves, pumps, and aeraits ability to out-compete
a fast growing submerged water weed, has been introtors, leading to increased Cabomba,
other aquatic plants.
duced to Australia from South America. With funding from the
costs of maintenance.
Funded by the NaturNatural Heritage Trust, Willie Cabrera is identifying and testing
The long stems of insects from cabomba’s home range in Argentina to find a sus- al Heritage Trust
cabomba impede the tainable biological control solution to its spread. Photo by CSIRO through the Department
movement of boats and Entomology.
of the Environment and
can get tangled in propellers, pad- become less desirable in areas infest- Heritage, and with support from a
dles, and fishing lines.
ed with cabomba and tourism can number of community groups, the
Many recreational activities suffer.
CSIRO Division of Entomology
began a project last year to discover
Cabomba
and test biological control agents
can be
from cabomba’s home range –
spread by
Argentina and adjacent South Amerwater craft
and trailers.
ican countries – to find a sustainable
Photo by
solution to this problem.
Queensland
For further information about
Department
invasive weeds, Weeds of National
of Natural
Resources
Significance and cabomba see:
and Mines.
<www.weeds.org.au>.
Contact: Andrew Petroeschevsky, NSW Dept Agriculture,
phone (02) 6640 1618, email
<andrew.petroeschevsky@agric.
nsw.gov.au>; or Shon Schooler,
CSIRO Division of Entomology,
phone (07) 3214 2853, email
<[email protected]>.
Australian Farm Journal BUSH, May 2004
17
LATIN CONNECTION
Things people
can do to help
manage
weeds such
as cabomba
• Great care needs to be taken
before new plant species are
allowed into the country. To help
protect Australia’s unique flora
and fauna, it is essential that travellers understand the danger
posed by the illegal importing of
plant material and abide by the
quarantine regulations.
• The second line of defence is
restricting the spread of those
plants already in the country. We
may not be able to eradicate
them, but we can contain the
damage they cause. This includes
restricting the movement of invasive plants, such as by removing
cabomba stems from boat trailers
before driving to a new lake.
• Understand the ways weeds can
be spread. The seeds of many
plant species are spread by wind,
water, or by animals and humans.
Human methods include spread by
plant fragments on machinery,
and from seeds on boots and
clothing. The mud on the bottom
of a pair of hiking boots can easily
move invasive plant species far
into pristine wilderness areas.
Even if growth of weeds from seed
is prevented, many plants still
spread, by underground rhizomes
or broken fragments. You don’t
need to know what species a
weed is, just take precautions so
that you don’t spread it around.
• Be aware of the general problem
of invasive introduced plants.
Most harmful weeds are introduced and cultivated with the
best of intentions. However,
inevitably some of these proliferate. Gardeners need to choose
plants carefully and avoid those
that are known to cause problems
in other areas. Try to recognise
the invasive plants in your area
and remove them from your yard
and garden.
• Report weed infestations to
local authorities. Weeds are not
easily eradicated, but eradication
may be possible if the problem is
recognised early.
18
Cabomba
reproduces
vegetatively
– almost
any fragment can
grow into a
new plant.
Flowering
cabomba in
Two Mile
Creek,
Strathpine,
Queensland. Photo
by CSIRO
Entomology.
Cabomba flowers and leaves. Photos by
Abyss Diving Services.
Australian Farm Journal BUSH, May 2004