Download Agapanthus - Cardinia Shire Council

Agapanthus 08:Layout 1
25/10/10
2:43 PM
Page 1
Environmental Weed Fact Sheet 1
Agapanthus
Botanical name: Agapanthus praecox ssp.orientalis
Common names: Agapanthus, lily of the Nile, African lily
Origin: South Africa
How it
spreads
Agapanthus produce
numerous small black
seeds from the end of
summer into autumn.
Seeds can be dispersed
by wind or water and
may also be transported
by soil movement and by
dumping of garden refuse
in bushland areas.
Agapanthus also spread
underground by
rhizome (root) growth, or
vegetatively by fragments.
Environmental
impact
The dense clumping
roots of agapanthus
displace indigenous
grasses and
groundcovers and
prevent overstorey
regeneration.
Plants are adapted to
a wide range of soil
types and conditions
and often invade
bushland, gardens
and roadside areas.
How to
identify
• Hardy, perennial lily that
grows in dense clumps.
• Thick, succulent, dark
green, strap-like leaves up
to 60cm long.
• Large rounded heads of
tubular flowers, blue or
white, produced on long
stems to 1.2m in summer.
• Small, shiny black seeds
produced in three-sided
capsules from the end of
summer to autumn.
• Extensive fleshy root system.
Agapanthus 08:Layout 1
25/10/10
2:43 PM
Page 2
Environmental Weed Fact Sheet 1
How to control
agapanthus
Removal
by hand
Cut flower heads off
before seeds form to
help prevent spreading.
Dig out clumps with a
mattock, ensuring that all
root material is removed.
Tasman flax lily
Replacement
planting
Tasman flax fily (Dianella
tasmanica) and spiny mat rush
(Lomandra longifolia)
are suitable alternatives
to agapanthus.
For more information on
indigenous plants or for a list
of indigenous plant nurseries
please contact Council.
Cardinia Shire Council
offers a subsidy to
landowners who
undertake a farm
chemical users course.
Please contact
Council for more
information on
1300 787 624.
Information supplied in this pamphlet is
intended as a guide only. While all due care
has been taken, Cardinia Shire Council
accepts no responsibility for the use of the
information or for any errors or omissions.
Chemical
control
Agapanthus may be
controlled with the use of
appropriate herbicides.
Search the PUBCRIS
database for
registered products at
www.apvma.gov.au.
Read the label of any
chemical before use
and ensure that you
follow the
manufacturer’s
instructions.
Disposal
Dispose of agapanthus in
regular green waste
collections, burn in a hot
fire or seal in plastic bags
and dispose of the
material at your local tip.
Do not dump
agapanthus as it
will regenerate.