Ageratina riparia
Mistflower
Mistflower is distinguished by multicellular, purple-striped, non-glandular hairs on upper stems and leaf stalks. It has flat-topped terminal clusters of small white flowers (florets). Its florets are all tubular. Seeds have hairs on ribs. The seeds are five-angled, black, 1-2 mm long, topped with bristles 3-4 mm long which readily separate from seeds. Stems are purplish and cylindrical. Leaves are opposite, mostly 7.5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, toothed along the edges and tapered at each end. Flowers occur in white heads, 4 mm to 6 mm wide, in flat-topped showy clusters (corymbs). Bracts around the heads are hairy. [...]
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Xanthium spinosum
Bathurst burr
Bathurst burr is a mainly summer-growing annual herb, commonly 30 cm to 60 cm high. Plants produce burrs in February and generally die early in winter, but mature plants may be found at any time. Stems are greenish yellow with fine short hairs. At the base of each leaf are one or two triple-pronged yellow spines. Leaves are divided into three parts. They are dark green, shiny above, with pale veins and they are pale green/whitish beneath. Flowers are creamy green, small and wind pollinated, appearing from February to July. The burrs attach to the coats of animals and to [...]
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Hypericum perforatum
St John’s wort
St John’s wort is a perennial herb, usually about 80 cm high. Non-flowering stems, up to about 30 cm long, grow from the crown to form tangled thickets. Erect, woody, flowering stems, to about 1.2 metres, are produced from the crown in spring. They often are reddish, with long ridges bearing dark glands. Leaves occur in opposite pairs. They are 5-30 mm long, 1.5-5 mm wide, oval to linear and hairless. Their upper margin usually is curved over, with the underside paler. They may be black-dotted or with black dots confined to near the apex. The leaves appear perforate when [...]
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Bryophyllum spp
Mother of millions
Mother of millions is a native of Africa and Madagascar and was introduced to Australia as a garden plant. It is a serious weed on the coast and the north-west slopes and plains of New South Wales. Consequently, it is a declared noxious weed in these areas. This perennial herb is a smooth, fleshy, succulent plant growing to one metre or more in height. It is distinguished by erect, simple, cylindrical stems. Leaves are about 2 cm-15 cm long and succulent, without a stalk. They are pale grey to speckled brown with dark green patches and a shallow groove on the [...]
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Carduus nutans
Nodding thistle
Nodding Thistle is an erect, mostly biennial, thistle with flowering stems growing to 1.7 metres high. Its seeds are ovoid, grey to brown, slightly curved and longitudinally lined. Nodding Thistle is distinguished by spiny, winged stems (except just below flower heads). Its leaves are variable. The basal leaves are in a rosette. They are green and often with white mid veins. They grow to 50 cm long and to 10 cm wide, Flowers occur in solitary heads at the ends of branches. The heads are made up of many small flowers (florets) to 24 mm long. Nodding Thistle flowers occur [...]
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Ageratina adenophora
Crofton weed
Crofton weed is a rapid-spreading weed that has become a nuisance in many areas along the eastern coast of Australia. It is particularly invasive on cleared land that is not grazed, such as public reserves, and causes particular problems for horse owners. A member of the Asteraceae or daisy family, Crofton weed is a native of Mexico. It is present as a weed in India, Sri Lanka, the Canary Islands, Jamaica, mainland United States, Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. Since its escape from ornamental cultivation in Australia about 1900, it has become widespread in Queensland coastal areas, on the [...]
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Senecio madagascariensis
Fireweed
Fireweed is a highly invasive and opportunistic weed, native to south-eastern Africa. It quickly colonises overgrazed pastures and disturbed areas. It is a serious pasture weed of coastal NSW. It is able to grow on most soil types and in all aspects. It forms a persistent seedbank if not controlled before it flowers and can rapidly take over heavily grazed and neglected pastures, competing strongly with existing pasture plants. It seeds prolifically and grows to maturity quickly. Density is influenced by groundcover and competition, especially in autumn. Fireweed can quickly establish where ground has been cultivated or disturbed, or where [...]
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Xanthium occidentale or pungens
Noogoora burr
Noogoora burr is an annual herb which grows up to 2.5 metres tall with two growth forms; erect single stemmed or many branched and spreading. It has an extensive root system and is toxic to stock. Stems are rough to touch with short stout upward directed hairs, green and usually blotched or streaked purple. Leaves are dark green and similar in shape to grape vine leaves, about 15cm in diameter. Flowers are green and occur in inconspicuous clusters around leaf axils. The fruit is a hard woody burr with many hooked spines and two terminal beaks. Each burr contains two [...]
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Parthenium hysterophorus
Parthenium weed
Parthenium weed is an erect annual which grows to about 1.5 metres tall. Seed is black, 2-3.5 mm long, topped with membranous white scales about 0.5 mm long. It can be confused with other annual herbs like ragweed or hemlock. It has one main stem, with distinct ribs, which branches in the upper half of the plant; grooved lengthwise, becoming woody with age. Leaves are light green to mid green in colour, deeply lobed with short hairs. Rosette leaves are 8 cm to 20 cm longer, while stem leaves are shorter. Flowers are white to cream in colour, diamond shaped. [...]
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