Tutsan Local Priority Weed

Under the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015, all landholders have a “General Biosecurity Duty” to manage any “Biosecurity Risk” posed or likely to be posed by Priority Weeds. These weeds can impact on human health, the economy, the liveability of our City and the environment. Impacts can include allergies and other health issues, costs of control, loss of tourism value, degradati on of natural landscapes, parks and recreati on faciliti es, reducti on of useful agricultural land and loss of primary producti on, loss of biodiversity and water quality.

MANDATORY OUTCOME The plant should be fully and conti nuously suppressed and destroyed.

Scienti fi c name Hypericum androsaemum and Hypericum kouytchense (syn.H. x moserianum) (Family: Clusiaceae) Descripti on Habit: A semi-evergreen shrub to 1.5 m. Stems are reddish and soft wooded, someti mes arching. Leaves: Leaves are stalk-less, green on the upper surface, paler greyish-green below, some turning red during autumn. When crushed, leaves have a slight curry-like aroma Flowers: Flowering in summer. Yellow fl owers are in clusters on the ti ps of branches. Fruit: Fruit contains many oval shaped brown seeds. Hypericum androsaemum has a fl eshy, berry- like fruit that turns red in autumn. The fruit of Hypericum kouytchense is a dry capsule.

Photo source: J. Hill Photo source: P. Chrismas

Blue Mountains City Council - Bushland Operati ons Team |htt p://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/weeds| Phone: 4780 5000

Fact Sheet Fact WEEDS ARE EVERYBODY’S RESPONSIBILITY

zb3406loc-tutsan_bmc.indd 1 3/09/2018 4:00 PM Tutsan Local Priority Weed

Dispersal Tutsan seeds do not have any special adaptati on for dispersal but are produced in large numbers. The seeds are spread by birds, foxes and water, and through contaminated soil. Impacts Tutsan occurs on forest edges and is rated a very serious threat to nati ve vegetati on in damp and wet sclerophyll forests. It forms dense thickets that smother and shade out nati ve vegetati on, including ground layer plants and smaller shrubs. Dense thickets of Tutsan prevent the regenerati on of nati ve plant species. Hypericum kouytchense is frequently found in swamps, and both species occur along creek-line edges in the Upper and Mid mountains. Current distributi on Mt Victoria to Hazelbrook.

Control • Seedlings can be hand pulled if all of the roots can be removed. Use a trowel or knife to loosen the soil fi rst. • More established plants will need to be cut and painted using herbicide. As the plant can layer, parti cularly in swamp situati ons, scrape and paint may be required. However this needs to be applied with great care. • Dense seedling beds can be sprayed with a selecti ve herbicide. Ensure preparati on around nati ve plants before spraying. Do not spray plants in creek-lines or swamps.

Note: Avoid using herbicide treatments in winter when Tutsan is semi-dormant. It is best to treat plants before they fruit. If you can’t, bag the fruit and treat in hot compost (to kill the seeds). Other parts of the plant can be picked up and spread out off the ground to dry and break down.

Hand Removal Cut and Paint

Plant this instead Alternati ve planti ngs to hold soils on creek banks or stormwater drainage lines include ferns such as Fishbone Water Fern (Blechnum nudum), Prickly Rasp Fern (Doodia aspera) and Common Ground Fern (Calochlaena dubia) and sedges or rushes such as Broad Rush (Juncus planifolius), Common Rush (Juncus usitatus) and Tall Sedge (Carex appressa). In drier areas plant Correa spp. Control illustrati ons by Virginia Bear.

For more informati on on weed identi fi cati on, control methods, herbicide use and weed contractors see: Blue Mountains City Council - Bushland Operati ons Team | htt p://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/weeds | Phone: 4780 5000

Fact Sheet Fact BLUE MOUNTAINS - NO PLACE FOR WEEDS

zb3406loc-tutsan_bmc.indd 2 3/09/2018 4:00 PM