BE WEED WISE - Coolatai grass

 Coolatai grass, Hyparrhenia hirta

 

It is just over 12 months ago that I first became aware of Coolatai grass. My daughter asked me if the grass growing below the netball courts on the bike track was Coolatai grass. I took photos and asked the Illawarra District Weeds Authority for confirmation. Unfortunately, it was. I subsequently found out that it was already growing in the old rubbish tip area and the IDWA had been spraying it with herbicide once a year. In October last year, they included some of the bike track outbreak in their spraying visit. Unfortunately, once a year spraying is not going to remove it. The Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club has had a few working bees to try to tackle the problem.

Coolatai grass is a long-lived perennial that produces short rhizomes that form dense grass tussocks and grow to 1.5 m. Being drought tolerant, it has the ability to rapidly respond to rain, producing new culms from the tussock base and flowering in a matter of weeks. It is well adapted to fire, with tussocks surviving hot burns.

 

I believe it has been spread into Helensburgh by trucks and machinery. As well as the old tip and the bike track, I have this year noticed it growing along the roadside in Walker Street, opposite Cemetery Road. Unfortunately, it was disturbed during the 2021 re-surfacing of the top part of Walker Street, and there is every chance that it will continue to spread along Walker Street.

 

If you see Coolatai grass growing on your property, please remove it before it flowers and sets seed. You could also report it to David Pomery at dpomery@isjo.org.au

 

For more information: https://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/Details/179

 

 

 

BE WEEDWISE - Canna lily

Canna lily (Canna indica, Canna x generalis)

 

Canna lily is native to tropical America. It is considered an environmental weed in many areas of eastern and south-eastern Australia. It is also a problem on many Pacific islands, New Zealand and southern USA. It forms large dense clumps, particularly along waterways, and replaces native aquatic and wetland species.

It is a large, long-lived, herbaceous plant growing up to 2 m tall and spreading laterally by means of fleshy underground stems (i.e. rhizomes). Canna lily can flower from spring to autumn. Flowers are orange, yellow or red.

Dispersal: Seed and rhizomes spread by water, humans, contaminated soil (earthmoving equipment, car tyres etc) and garden refuse dumping.

Control option: Dig out clumps ensuring all the rhizomes are removed. If you wish to grow this plant in your garden, please remove spent flowers before seeds form and do not dump seeds or rhizomes in local bushland.

 

Grow Me Instead

Gymea lily - Doryanthes excelsa. A local native plant which thrives in poor sandy soils and full sun or partial shade. The red trumpet-like flowers are borne in a terminal head 300 mm in diameter on a leafy flowering stem 2–4 m high.

Swamp lily - Crinum pedunculatum. This Australian native plant has rosettes of broad leaves and clusters of white, highly fragrant, flowers on 1m stems. Suits any soil, full sun or dappled shade and is mildly frost tolerant, it also grows well near ponds.

Day lilies - Hemerocallis species and hybrids. Day lilies have generous clumps of strappy leaves, and tall flower stems with double or single flowers in a wide range of colours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BE WEED WISE, Mother of millions

Mother of millions, Bryophyllum delagoense

Mother-of-millions is native to Madagascar. It is an erect, smooth, fleshy succulent plant growing to 1 m or more in height. Its mottled leaves are cylindrical and have a few small 'teeth' near their tips. Tiny plantlets are produced at the tips of its leaves. The drooping bell-shaped flowers (2-4 cm long) are usually red or reddish-pink in colour. These flowers are borne in dense clusters at the top of the stems. The fruits contain many seeds.

Mother-of-millions is commonly spread by gardeners and in garden waste. The plantlets at the end of the leaves drop readily, develop roots and establish quickly to form a new colony. Broken leaf parts can also take root and give rise to new plants. The tiny seeds are probably wind and water dispersed. 

Hand remove plants carefully, loosening the soil with a knife or trowel. Ensure all pieces are removed and disposed of in your FOGO bin.

For additional information, see NSW WeedWise

 

Grow Me Instead

Leek lily (Bulbine bulbosa): An Australian native plant, leek lily is an attractive species with fragrant yellow flowers, suited to rockeries and cottage gardens.

Blue Mexican hen and chicks (Echeveria glauca): A hardy, low growing Echeveria with orange/yellow flowers.

Mexican firecracker (Echeveria setosa): A lovely clump forming evergreen ground cover succulent with spoon shaped leaves covered in soft grey hairs to 10cm tall. It produces yellow-orange flowers through the summer months.

BE WEED WISE Dietes, Butterfly iris

 Dietes spp., butterfly iris, or just dietes

Dietes is in the Iris family. It is native to eastern and southern Africa. Dietes has recently been appearing in bushland in south-eastern Australia. Unfortunately, it still seems to be commonly planted by Local Government Councils and in other public plantings.

Plants consist of clumps of erect sword-shaped leaves, with short-lived, iris-like flowers that are white, yellow and mauve. The flowers are followed by green, three-celled capsule containing numerous hard angular seeds.

Dietes is spread by seed via water, humans, contaminated soil (earthmoving equipment, car tyres, etc) and garden refuse dumping.

Please remove spent flowers to stop seeds developing. Remove any seed-heads, and place any seed-heads or plant roots/rhizomes in your green waste (FOGO) bin, or if you don't have a FOGO (Food Organics Green Organics) bin, place them in your rubbish bin.

 

Grow Me Instead

Grass flag (Libertia paniculata) 

Australian native which forms a grass like clump with masses of white flowers in spring, for moist, semi-shaded positions.

Blue flax lily (Dianella spp.) 

Flax lily is native to Australia and many of the garden cultivars stem from four of the native strains. The richly-hued blue flowers with delicate yellow anthers perch like chandeliers on the end of wiry stems and contrast well with the long linear form of the leathery leaves.

Kangaroo paws (Anigozanthus species and varieties.)

Kangaroo paws originate in Western Australia. They have clumps of strappy leaves. The different varieties vary in colour, height and hardiness in our area.

 

 

BE WEED WISE, Blue periwinkle

Blue periwinkle, Vinca major

Blue periwinkle is an example of a garden plant that has ‘jumped the garden fence’. It is now considered an invasive species, not just in wetter areas of Australia, but in New Zealand and North America (USA and Canada).

It is a trailing herb with a woody crown and runners up to 1 m long. The stems sometimes develop roots where they come into contact with the soil, and creeping underground stems are also produced. It has blue to purple tubular flowers (3-6 cm across) which are usually borne singly in the upper leaf forks.

Blue periwinkle’s broad-leaved runners form a dense mat, shading out native plants and competing for moisture and nutrients. Its growth is particularly vigorous in riparian and other moist habitats.

It is spread into bushland mostly by dumping of garden waste, but can also spread by broken stem bits being washed into a new area. It occasionally spreads by seed.

Digging every little bit out is the most effective way of removing it. Follow up will be required for some time.

 

Grow Me Instead

Scaevola species, fan flower: An Australian native groundcover with prolific flowering of mauve, purple or white flowers.

Hardenbergia violacea, Native sarsaparilla: The pea shape flowers appear in winter and spring and are usually violet in colour.

Convolvulus sabatius, Moroccan glory vine: An attractive evergreen perennial with a spreading prostrate habit with blue to violet flowers.

BE WEED WISE Moth Vine

 Moth vine, (Araujia sericifera)

Moth vine comes from South America. It has attractive white flowers which are followed by a fruit which is often mistaken for a choko. The fruit has pale, dull green skin which dries out and splits to reveal numerous seeds which are black with a tuft of white hairs 2-3 cm long. Moth vine is fairly common in gardens and neighbouring bushland and weedy areas around Helensburgh.

It is an invader of bushland as the seed is dispersed by wind and water. It climbs through vegetation and the heavy weight of fruiting vines can break limbs and bring down weaker shrubs and trees. Dense growth smothers smaller vegetation and impedes over-storey regeneration.

The leaves, stems, fruit and possibly seeds contain toxins which affect the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system. It is reported that some variants may also contain toxins that affect the heart. When damaged, an irritating milky sap leaks from the plant.

 

Horses, cattle, and birds have been poisoned by the Moth Vine and there are anecdotal reports of small animals such as dogs being affected after eating the plant. Symptoms of poisoning may include vomiting (in animals that can vomit), diarrhoea, refusal to eat, unsteadiness on the feet and potentially seizures.

Removal
Where moth vine is climbing up through garden plants, it is best to remove any fruit and then cut the stem near the ground. Dig out the roots. Seedlings and small plants can be hand-pulled or dug out. 

Warning
Moth vine’s latex can be highly irritating and allergenic. Always wear gloves when handling plants and avoid getting latex in the eyes or mouth.

 

Grow Me Instead

Wonga wonga vine, Pandorea pandorana

This is a vigorous Australian native twining plant. One of the selected colour forms is ‘Snowbells’ which has pure white flowers.

 

Old man’s beard, Clematis aristata

A local native vine which flowers in spring, this species is most attractive with its masses of creamy white flowers.

 

Chinese star jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides

A hardy climber or ground cover plant with perfumed white flowers in spring. Apparently, its irritating, milky latex-like sap makes it resistant to the depredations of Australian possums.

 

 

BE WEED WISE Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata)

Black-eyed Susan is a native to tropical and southern Africa. It was grown widely as a garden climber, but has, unfortunately, become an environmental weed in the coastal districts of eastern Australia and south-western Western Australia. It is also a weed overseas in southern USA, Papua New Guinea and on several Pacific islands.

Black-eyed Susan is a long-lived vine growing up to 5 metres, and spreading along the ground. It has opposite leaves which are heart shaped, and often finely hairy. It has singular orange or yellow flowers with a black centre, and flowers in the spring and summer. It has a tap root and fibrous roots, and will actively seek and block water/septic pipes.

This species reproduces by seed, and vegetatively by fragments of stems and roots. Seeds and plant fragments can be spread in dumped garden waste. They can also be spread by water and vehicles. It can smother shrubs and groundcover in moist bushland.

Remove by pulling out at the roots. Vines remaining in vegetation can be left to die. Watch for new seedlings, and remove as they appear.

 

Grow Me Instead

Snake vine, Hibbertia scandens

This local vine has bright green leaves with large yellow flowers. This is a vigorous climber or scrambler which grows to 2 to 5m wide or high

 

Wonga wonga vine, Pandorea pandorana

This is a vigorous Australian native twining plant. A number of selected colour forms of this species have been brought into cultivation, the most common is 'Snowbells' with pure white flowers and 'Golden Showers' with yellow-bronze flowers.

 

Banksia rose, Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’

This climbing rose produces long slender twining canes with masses of tiny, double, yellow flowers in spring.