Macfadyena unguis-cati
Cat’s claw creeper
Cat’s claw creeper was introduced to Australia as a garden plant, particularly for screening trellises and walls, and has escaped to become a major weed of native forests and riparian areas in eastern Australia. Its climbing woody stems (lianas) cling to tree trunks, enabling it to grow into the forest canopy. In native rainforests it can overtop and kill mature trees, opening up the canopy for light-loving weeds. This can lead to further degradation in the structure and composition of the native plant community. Cat’s claw creeper competes with native plants by forming a dense above-ground mat and many underground [...]
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Caesalpinia decapetala
Mysore thorn
Mysore thorn is a perennial shrub, growing to 2-4 metres, or a sprawling climber to 15 metres high, which readily forms a dense impenetrable thicket. It has tap roots and lateral roots. Mysore thorn is a vigorous growing plant capable of climbing and engulfing native vegetation, fences, sheds, bridges and other infrastructure. The long spines of the Mysore thorn can inflict serious injury to humans and animals, native and domestic. Mysore thorn forms dense thickets restricting access of stock and machinery to vital areas like water, pastures and roads. Thorns on the stems are straight or hooked and aid in [...]
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Pueraria lobata
Kudzu
Kudzu is a coarse, high-climbing, twining, trailing, perennial vine. It has hairy, dark brown stems up to 15 metres long. It forms large root tubers up to two metres long and 18 cm to 45 cm wide that can weigh as much as 180 kg on old plants and can reach a depth of one metre to five metres. Leaves are alternate with three leaflets (hairy on both surfaces) 8 cm to 20 cm long and 5 cm to 19 cm wide, usually slightly lobed (unless in shade). Flowers are pea-like, pink to purple with yellow centres, highly fragrant and [...]
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Lantana species
Lantana
Red Lantana has a major impact on agriculture and the environment in many parts of the North Coast region. This plan aims to help coordinate control activities in order to reduce these impacts. There are numerous forms of lantana growing in Australia based on flower colour and other vegetative characters. Some forms produce few or no seeds whilst other forms seed heavily and cause major impacts on agriculture and the environment. The weedy forms of lantana are estimated to infest over 4 million hectares in Australia (Parsons and Cuthbertson (2001). Annual agricultural losses are estimated to be $7.7 million, including [...]
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