HERBS & GRASSES
Diplotaxis tenuifolia Sand Rocket/Sand Mustard
Status: “Regionally Controlled Weed”.
Origin: South & Central Europe, Asia Minor.
Description: Perennial broad- leaved herbaceous plant with deep tap root.
Fruits/Seeds: Seed germinates readily after autumn rain. Also re-shoots from crown after rainfall in winter.
Dispersal: Spread mainly by seed as contamination on vehicles including rail carriages, and carried on clothes, bags, in water and mud. Also spread as root pieces on cultivation equipment.
Invades: Coastal areas, roadsides, grasslands in areas of low to moderate rainfall in sandy calcare- ous soils.
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HERBS & GRASSES
Ehrharta longiflora Annual Veld-grass
Photo: Viridans Images Origin: South Africa
Description: Annual grass to 1m high with purple colouring on flowers, base of leaves and on stem nodes. Leaves rough, dark green, up to 15cm long.
Fruits/Seeds: Plants grow and flower rapidly, shedding seed ahead of most other grasses.
Dispersal: Seed spread by wind, water, animals, in dumped garden waste and very commonly by agricultural and fuel reduction machinery.
Invades: Coastal areas, woodland, heathland, grass- land, forests, gardens, roadsides, sides of water- ways.
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HERBS & GRASSES
Euphorbia paralias Sea Spurge
Origin: Europe, Mediterranean, Siberia
Description: Herb common on Victorian beaches, up to 1m high (usually less), fleshy green with yellow-green flowers. Contains toxic sap causing skin and eye irritations and child poisonings.
Fruits/Seeds: Sets seed in small furrowed capsules.
Dispersal: Seed is released up to 2m explosively by capsules. Seed is spread by wind, water, ocean currents, machinery, beach clothing and recreational equipment, and in contaminated sand.
Invades: Coastal vegetation, particularly dunes fronting the sea.
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HERBS & GRASSES
Foeniculum vulgare Fennel
Status: “Restricted Weed”
Origin: Europe and Asia
Description: Herb to about 2m with small yellow flowers clustered in umbrella shapes. Smells of aniseed when crushed.
Fruits/Seeds: Yellow- brown seeds, 3-6mm long.
Dispersal: Seeds are spread by birds, animals, water, machinery, vehicles, contaminated soil and in dumped garden waste.
Invades: Very common weed of roadsides, drainage channels, along waterways.
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HERBS & GRASSES
Freesia alba x Freesia leichtlinii Freesia
Origin: South Africa
Description: Herb to 40cm high with 3 to 7 white/ cream flowers with yellow markings and shaded mauve on the outside.
Fruits/Seeds: Prolific seeder. Also produces seed- like cormlets along the stems that drop to the ground as the parent plant dies. Infected soils can contain many hundreds of bulbs per square metre.
Dispersal: Spread by birds, machinery, dumped garden waste, contaminated soil. Plants spread quickly and can form large colonies.
Invades: Roadsides, pasture, sides of waterways, coastal areas, forest, woodland.
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HERBS & GRASSES
Gazania species Gazania
Origin: South Africa
Description: Very common, tough herbs to 30cm with daisy-like flowers in a variety of colours, mainly orange to yellow but some creamy white varieties. Flowers throughout the year.
Fruits/Seeds: Seeds are disguised in fur or ‘hair’.
Dispersal: Water, Wind and in dumped garden waste.
Invades: Roadsides, pastures
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HERBS & GRASSES
Lathyrus tingitanus Tangier Pea
Origin: Mediterranean Region
Description: Annual climbing or scrambling herb reaching 2-3m high or wide.
Fruits/Seeds: Seed which may remain viable in the soil for several years.
Dispersal: Ripe seed may be ejected several metres away from parent plants. Also dispersed by water, slashing and soil removal.
Invades: Forms large populations in disturbed bushland. Infestations affect the health, vigour and persistence of smaller indigenous plants due to its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil. This increases soil fertility. Indigenous plants have adapted to grow on low nutrient soils and so cannot readily adapt.
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HERBS & GRASSES
Nassella neesiana Chilean Needle-grass
Photo: Viridans Images Status: “Restricted Weed”
Origin: South America
Description: Tussock-forming grass with 30cm leaves, stems to 1m and purplish seed heads. Can be confused with native tussock grasses.
Fruits/Seeds: Very sharp seeds, distinguished from native grasses by a small, pale ring or skirt around top of mature seed. Also produces self-fertilized seeds hidden inside the stem of the plant.
Dispersal: Spread by wind, animals, machinery, in clothing.
Invades: Pastures, woodlands, roadsides, sides of waterways, native grasslands.
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