Download S/Reed and Ginger - Botanical Society of South Africa

Weeds in our Area (Part One Hundred and Fifty Two)
By Bob and Ena McIntyre – Garden Route Region.
UPDATED LIST: Echium plantagineum (E. vulgare)
Patterson’s Curse & Blue echium
Family: Boraginaceae
We are revisiting Echium plantagineum (Patterson’s Curse) last examined in 2006. Scrolling
through the photo library I came across a photograph of a very diseased yet flourishing specimen
we spotted in Constantia Kloof some years ago – see photo below. The plant appeared to have a
massive fungal/gall infestation of the stem which was hugely swollen. Patterson’s Curse is very
common in the Southern and Western Cape and extends eastward though the Eastern Cape, KZN
and into Mpumalanga. Of the two species Patterson’s Curse is the most wide-spread and is
frequently seen in degraded patches around our village. The Echium species is native to western
and southern Europe. It is also found in northern Africa and southwestern Asia. The two species of
Echium were introduced as ornamental garden plants. In the 1880’s Echium plantagineum was
introduced to Australia, probably both as an accidental contaminant of pasture seed and as an
ornamental plant. The story goes that both names for the
plant derive from one Jane Paterson or Patterson, an early
settler near the town of Albury in New South Wales. She
brought the first seeds from Europe to beautify a garden, and
then watched helplessly as the weed infested previously
productive pastures for many miles around. Patterson’s Curse
is now a dominant broadleaf pasture weed through much of
Australia. The shoots are toxic to livestock with simple
digestive systems such as horses and can cause liver failure in
both humans and animals. The coarse hairs on the stem are a
skin irritant. In orchards, vineyards and pastures the plants
are problematic with strong tap roots and large smothering
leaves competing with crops for space and moisture.
Description: The plant has large hairy, dark green, broadly oval rosette leaves at the base. The
seeding stems grow to 120 cm in height and develop branches with age. Flowers develop in
clusters; they are purple, tubular and 2–3 cm long with 5 petals. It has a fleshy taproot with
smaller laterals. Echium plantagineum is a prolific seed producer and heavy infestations can yield
up to 30,000 seeds per square meter. Paterson's Curse can germinate under a wide variety of
conditions, tolerates dry periods and responds vigorously to
fertilizer. The plant disperses by seed movement — on animal wool
or fur, the mouths of grazing animals or birds’ beaks, movement in
water and most importantly as a contaminant of fodder. Paterson's
Curse is unlikely to establish itself in habitats where the natural
vegetation is intact and undisturbed.
Invasive Status: Declared weed - Updated list Category 1b –
controlled as part of an invasive species control programme. The plants invade roadsides and
urban open spaces, cultivated lands and pastures.
Control: Registered herbicides are available. Control of the plant in the case of small infestation
can be done by hand. Herbicides control must be continued over many years to reduce the seed
bank. Most seeds germinate in the first year, but some survive for as long as five years before
germinating.
References: ALIEN WEEDS AND INVASIVE PLANTS: Lesley Henderson - Copyright @ 2001
Agricultural Research Council. Problem Plants of SA by Clive Bromilow. www.wikipedia.org