Are Your Garden Plants Going Bush? CONTENTS the Answer Is…Yes; Some of Them Have Done So and Are Now Serious Environmental and Economic Weeds
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Are Your Garden Plants Going Bus h? Weed invasion into our bushland is a serious economic and environmental problem. MRPMG acknowledges the advice and support of members of Society for Growing Australian Plants, Mackay Branch. Without their extensive knowledge this booklet would not have been possible. Ta b l e o f Co n T e n T s Are Your Garden Plants Going Bush? CONTENTS The answer is…yes; some of them have done so and are now serious environmental and economic weeds. Others Introduction .......................................... inside front cover are ticking ‘bombs’ that will become very serious weeds if not controlled. Explanatory notes and glossary ....................................2 A weed is simply a plant that is growing in a place where it is not wanted. While the brightly coloured Lantana and the Remove and replace… Blue Morning Glory look beautiful in your garden they, and some other garden plants, have ‘gone bush’, invading our n Tall Upright Trees .....................................................4 native bushland, agricultural lands as well as roadsides and n Large Shrubs - Medium Trees ...................................5 other disturbed areas. Weed species spread because they can multiply aggressively n Medium Shrubs .......................................................8 with few predators to keep them in check. Most produce ‘hundreds’ of long lived viable seeds that are spread n Small Shrubs, Tufties and Ground Covers ...............11 efficiently with no regard for property boundaries. Many n Climbers ................................................................15 weeds multiply by vegetative parts so dumped garden waste is a common source of infestation (see Glossary, n Palms and Palm-like Plants .....................................20 p2: Spread by). The worst weedy plants have come from overseas but some native plants from other parts of Dos and Don’ts in your garden ...................................22 Australia can also be weedy. To prevent further loss of our native bushland to garden Replacements… escapees, it is advisable to use the precautionary principle – remove the weeds and replace them with suitable native n Tall Upright Trees ...................................................23 plants. n Large Shrubs - Medium Trees .................................24 This brochure identifies just some of the plants that should be avoided or removed from your garden and suggests n Medium Shrubs .....................................................26 some native replacements. Some of the weed species in this brochure are classified as Pest Plants under theLand n Small Shrubs, Tufties and Ground Covers .......................................................27 Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002 (see p3). Others have been identified as problems in this n Climbers ................................................................30 district. Help stop the spread of weeds! n Palms and Palm-like Plants .....................................31 Remove weedy garden species! Acknowledgements .....................................................33 Don’t plant weedy garden species! Plant suitable Australian natives instead! 1 ex p l a n a T o r y no T e s a n d Gl o s s a r y ex p l a n a T o r y no T e s a n d Gl o s s a r y Adventitious roots: roots arising from stems. Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Axil: the upper angle between one part of a plant and Act 2002 another, e.g. the stem and a leaf. Adj. axillary. Under this Act it is illegal to sell or give away a declared pest or its seed. There are three classes of declared plants Bract: leaf-like or scale-like structure associated with under the Act: flowers. A Class 1 pest is one that is not common but Perennial: living for more than 2 years. Class 1 has the potential to become a very serious pest Fruit types: in Queensland. Any of these species growing in Berry: a fleshy or pulpy fruit that doesn’t open at Queensland have to be eradicated before they spread via maturity and has one or more seeds imbedded in accidental or deliberate transport of material. the fleshy tissue. A Class 2 pest is one that has already spread over Class Colour: refers to the colour of mature fruit. 2 substantial areas of Queensland, but its impact is Capsule: a dry fruit that opens at maturity to release so serious that we need to try and control it and seeds. (Capsules are formed from two or more avoid further spread onto properties that are still free of the carpels.) pest. A pest is one that is commonly established Carpel: a unit of the female parts of a flower. Class Class 3 in parts of Queensland.The primary objective Drupe: a succulent fruit with three layers – the outer 3 of Class 3 listing is to prevent sale, therefore skin, the soft or sometimes fibrous centre and an preventing the spread of these pests into new areas. inner stony layer that encloses the seed or seeds. Drupes don’t open at maturity to release their Tell Tell someone: refers to a serious weed requiring seeds. (They may be formed from one or more someone! carpels.) the attention of a responsible body. Call your local government or DPI&F (see the back cover). Folicle: a dry fruit (formed from one carpel) that opens along one side. Time Bombs: Garden plants with serious weed potential that have already ‘gone bush’ but at this Pod: a dry fruit (formed from one carpel) that opens stage have not spread widely. Preventing spread NOW along two longitudinal lines. is better than having to control them in the future. Invades: Invaded habitats are listed in alphabetical order. Spread by: Methods of spread are listed from the most common to the least common. Contaminated soil: refers to soil or animal manure that contains any type of reproductive plant material - woody or fleshy pieces of stems or branches, bulbs, tubers, fruit or seeds. Garden waste: covers any vegetative waste that contains any reproductive plant material (as above) . Water: refers to creeks, rivers, storm or flood waters, including urban drainage systems that may drain Remember that if weeds are providing into natural areas. Many fruits float and are habitat for native birds and animals then ‘designed’ to be moved by water. they should be removed gradually to allow the fauna to adapt to the Wind: refers to wind borne seeds or pods that can be re-establishing native habitat. carried far and wide. 2 3 Remove and replace Remove and replace Ta l l Up r i G h T Tr e e s la r G e sh r U b s ~ Me d i um Tr e e s African Tulip Class Broad-leaved Pepper Tree Class Spathodea campanulata 3 Schinus terebinthifolius 3 Family: Bignoniaceae Origin: Tropical Africa Flowers: Large orange-red bell shaped, in terminal clusters. Family: Anacardiaceae Origin: Brazil Fruit: Upright capsules to 20cm long. Flowers: Small, cream in sprays. Male and female flowers, usually on separate plants. Seeds: Numerous, thin, encircled by clear wing. Fruit: Bright red, peppercorn-like berries. Spread by: Wind, garden waste and suckers. Seeds: Light brown 4-6.5mm wide. Invades: Creek banks, open forest and rainforest. Spread by: Birds, flying foxes, water and garden waste. Invades: Melaleuca forests and wetlands. Cadaghi Notes: Impact severe. Corymbia torelliana prev. Eucalyptus torelliana Java Plum Syzygium cumini Family: Myrtaceae Origin: Far North Queensland Flowers: Fluffy cream ‘balls’ massed in terminal clusters. Family: Myrtaceae Origin: Asia Fruit: Almost round, woody capsules, 9-14x9-14mm. Flowers: Fluffy, cream, in axillary clusters. Seeds: 2-3mm long. Fruit: Purple-black berries, about 2cm long; abundant. Spread by: Wind and water over short distances. Seeds: Brown, one per fruit with multiple embryos. Invades: Melaleuca forest and open forest. Spread by: Water, flying foxes and birds. Notes: Trunk has distinctive smooth green bark. Weedy in Invades: Creek banks and Melaleuca forest. some areas beyond its natural range. Notes: Survives in standing water and has displaced all native species in some sites. 4 5 Remove and replace Remove and replace la r G e sh r U b s ~ Me d i um Tr e e s la r G e sh r U b s ~ Me d i um Tr e e s Leucaena Yellow Bells Class Leucaena leucocephala Tecoma stans 3 Family: Mimosaceae Origin: Central America Family: Bignoniaceae Origin: Central & South America Flowers: Small, numerous creamy-yellow in fluffy balls in Flowers: Yellow ‘bells’ with reddish lines in throat. terminal and axillary sprays. Fruit: Long narrow capsules to 22cm. Fruit: 100s of dark brown flat pods to 12cm. Seeds: Winged, about 1.5cm long, numerous. Seeds: 8-24, glossy brown, 5-9mm long, long lived and Spread by: Wind and garden waste. highly viable. Invades: Open forest and roadsides. Spread by: Wind borne pods, water, garden waste and contaminated soil. Invades: Creek banks, roadsides and mangrove margins. Yellow Oleander/Captain Cook Tree Notes: Impact severe. Cascabela thevetia Penny Leaf Class Dalbergia sissoo 3 Family: Apocynaceae Origin: Tropical America Family: Fabaceae Origin: India Flowers: Yellow or orange, funnel shaped. Flowers: Fragrant cream pea-flowers in axillary sprays. Fruit: Large black, laterally compressed drupes to 5cm. Seeds: Fruit: Pale brown, flattened ‘pods’ to 10cm that don’t open Four within two bony structures. at maturity. Spread by: Water, feral pigs, garden waste and gravity. Seeds: Flat brown, 1-4 with low viability. Invades: Creek banks, Melaleuca forest, open forest. Spread by: Contaminated soil, garden waste and wind. Notes: All parts of plant contain deadly poison. Suckers profusely after disturbance and grows readily from all vegetative parts, including logs. Invades: Creek banks, open forest and coastal dunes. 6 7 Remove and replace Remove and replace Me d i um sh r U b s Me d i um sh r U b s Ardisia Duranta Ardisia elliptica prev. A. solanaceae Duranta erecta prev. D. repens Family: Verbenaceae Origin: Tropical America Family: Myrsinaceae Origin: Asia Flowers: Blue to purple, white, bell-shaped, in showy Flowers: Small, white, pink or mauve in rays.