Weedy Wattle Fact Sheet

FACT SHEET Weed Wales Sydney golden wale tree (Acacia longifolia) Acacia longifolia – cylindrical flower spikes Wale trees can make a beauful tree in a garden or along a wind break on a rural property parcularly when in flower, but if they are not nave to the area they can become a serious weed in your local bushland. Many wales are good at colonising new areas of land, especially following a disturbance such as fire. They grow quickly and can produce a large quanty of seed which is spread by birds, insects and water to other areas. Once established they compete aggressively with other nave plants for water, light and nutrients and can, under opmum condions, create dense, almost impenetrable thickets of trees effecvely wiping out all other nave plants and habitat for nave animals. Established thickets of trees can be very labour intensive and costly to remove. There are several wale species which are problemac in the greater Bunbury region, of these the Sydney golden wale (Acacia longifolia) presents, perhaps, the worst weed risk. Sydney golden wale is nave to the east coast of Australia and is most likely to have been introduced to the south west of Western Australia as an ornamental shade tree or soil stabiliser. It has similarly been introduced to South Africa and areas in Europe were it also presents a major weed problem. Management authories in South Africa use a biocontrol agent to manage the weed. It may be confused with the local nave wale Golden wreath wale (Acacia saligna), but is easily disnguished by its prominent parallel leaf veins and long cylindrical flowering spikes. Other wales of concern in the Bunbury region are the Flinders Range wale (A. iteaphylla), Cootamundra wale (A. baileyana), silver wale (A. dealbata), Queensland silver wale (A. podalyriifolia) and golden wale (A. pycnantha) all of which are commonly planted ornamental trees. Many land managers including local and state government bodies, not‐for‐profit natural resource management groups and private enes are working hard to control these weeds on their lands. Golden wreath wale (Acacia saligna) flower and leaf A. saligna leaf – angled veins. A. longifolia leaf – parallel veins P: 08 9792 7000 E : [email protected] A: 4 Stephen Street, Bunbury WA 6230, PO Box 21 Bunbury WA 6231 www.bunbury.wa.gov.au FACT SHEET PLANNINGWeed Wa lesFOCUS Flinders Range wale ( A. iteaphylla) Queensland silver wale (A. podalyriifolia) Silver wale (A.dealbata) Control Methods Wales are best controlled as seedlings when they are easy to lever and hand‐pull or over‐spray with a 10% soluon of glyphosate. Mature, larger plants are controlled by felling the tree and then painng the freshly cut stump with a soluon of 50% glyphosate to prevent suckering and regrowth of the plant. Alternavely trees can be poisoned and killed without felling by injecng them with a 50% glyphosate soluon, or by painng the bark around the base of the tree with a 250 ml mix of Access® in 15 L of diesel. Trees are most effecvely controlled using herbicides between March and August. It is im‐ portant that felled trees and branches are removed as they can reproduce vegetavely by developing advenous roots where the plant meets the soil. The removed trees can be chipped and used as mulch or the smaller trees and branches can be used as brush to stabilise sand dunes. How can you help? You can help by replacing potenal weed wales growing on your property with nave trees or with other species that have less potenal to become weeds in nave bushland. A list of alternave, relavely hardy, smaller tree species with colourful flowers or leaves is provided in the table below. Please invesgate these for suitability on your property. Other suitable spe‐ cies may be found on the Water Corporaon website at hps://www.watercorporaon.com.au/save‐water/waterwise‐ Table 1. Alternave replacement trees to consider planng Common Name Scienfic Name Comments Common Name Scienfic Name Comments Golden wreath Acacia saligna Nave SW WA, yellow fl, 5 m. Emu tree1 Hakea francisiana Nave WA Wheatbelt, pink‐ 1 wale red fl, 3‐8m. 1,2 Bole brushes Callistemon culvars Red and pink fl, 4‐8 m. Pin cushion hakea1 Hakea laurina Nave to south coast WA red fl, 2‐6 m. Red flowering gum1 Corymbia ficifolia Nave lower SW WA, red fl, 8m. Red coonwood2 Hibiscus liaceus Nave to Qld & Pacific Eucalyptus summer Culvars of Corymbia Pink fl (SB) and red fl (SR), 5 m. rubra coasts, yellow fl, 8‐10 m. beauty (SB) & Sum‐ ficifolia Nave frangipani2 Hymenosporum Nave to Qld, yellow & red 1 mer red (SR) flavum fl, 10m. 1 Silver princess Eucalyptus caesia Nave WA Wheatbelt, pink ‐ red Crepe myrtle3 Lagerstroemia indica Nave to eastern Asia decid‐ fl, 2‐ 8 m. uous, pink,red fl, 6‐8m. 1 Coral gum Eucalyptus torquata Nave WA Goldfields, coral fl, 5‐ 3 10 m. Ornamental plums Prunus species Deciduous, nave Europe & Asia, white – pink fl,8‐10m. Bell fruited mallee1 Eucalyptus preissiana Nave south coast WA yellow fl, sprawling mallee, 3‐5m. Ornamental pears3 Pyrus species Deciduous, nave Europe & Ilyarrie2 Eucalyptus eryth‐ Nave n & s of Geraldton, yellow Asia, white – pink fl, 8‐10m rocorys fl,3‐8m. Chinese tallow3 Triadica sebiferum Deciduous, nave Eastern Claret ash3 Fraxinus angusfolia Deciduous, nave Europe & Asia, Asia, 8‐12m ‘Raywood’ 8‐10m. 1.WA nave, 2. Australian nave, 3. exoc to Australia supported by Royalties for Regions .

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