TREAT

The environmental weeds listed on these pages are either present on the Atherton Tablelands or have the potential to grow in this area or they are a particular problem for revegetation in general or to Mabi forest in particular.

Some of the following species are a particular problem for revegetation because they can halt or change the direction of succession.

Anredera cordifolia - Madeira Vine, Lamb's Tail - Declared class 3

Family: Basellaceae.

Form: Vine

Origin: Native to South America.

Flowers/Seedhead: Flowers: Fragrant, white, in drooping spikes. Flowers mostly summer to autumn outside tropics.

Description: Fleshy, sometimes woody, climber with stems extending for 20 m or more. Leaves usually fleshy, ovate, to about 6 cm long. Single seed per fruit.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by climbing habit, aerial and root tubers and masses of fragrant flowers in drooping spikes.

Dispersal: Seed, tubers and spreading root system. Spread by water down watercourses.

Local notes: not common on the Atherton Tablelands but difficult to control where it does occur.

Control - hand remove smaller plants and any loose tubers, scrape stems and paint with herbicide.

Ardisia elliptica - Ardisia, Shoe-button Ardisia

Family Myrsinaceae

Origin: Native of Asia and Malesia from Japan (Ryuku Islands) to New Guinea and across to southern India.

Shrub to 2 m

Leaves simple, 70-130 x 25-48 mm, glabrous; oil dots clear; numerous, petioles 6-16mm long often red; stipules about 5 mm long.

Inflorescence an axillary raceme or umbel.

Flower petals 5 or 6, about 8 mm long; calyx green or whitish. April to May.

Fruit a berry, purplish-red to black, 7-12x 10-12 mm, large persistent pale calyx at base, pedicels about 13 mm long; seeds 1 brown, 5-6 mm long. June to August.

Dispersal: spread by bird- and mammal- dispersed seed.

Confused with: Other Ardisia species (most native species do not have fruit that turn black at maturity).

Notes: Planted as an ornamental for its rapid growth and attractive fruit. Grows in moist tropical forests. Plants are shade tolerant. Forms dense monotypic stands in invaded range overseas.

Local notes: Ardisia elliptica has been planted on the Atherton Tablelands.

Control - hand remove smaller plants, cut stump and paint with herbicide.

Asparagace plumosus - Climbing Asparagus fern, Ferny Asparagus - Declared class 3

Family: Asparagaceae.

Form: Vine

Origin: Native of South Africa.

Flowers/ Seedhead: Greenish white, bell-shaped, 5-7 mm wide. Flowers spring to autumn.

Description: Wiry perennial scrambler with fibrous rhizomes and roots, aerial parts to 5 m high on supporting vegetation. Stems to many metres long. Leaves reduced to spine-like scales that are not hardened, mostly less than 5 mm long and are found at the base of leaf-like cladodes. Seeds 2.5-3.5 mm wide.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by main roots swollen on young plants, tubers not formed; thread-like cladodes 2-7 mm long and about 0.1 mm wide, in clusters of 8-15; lateral branches arranged in the same plane; flowers single or paired at ends of lateral branches; petal-like tepals not joined; fleshy berries green at first, ripening black, 4-5 mm wide, 1-seeded. Fruits April to September.

Dispersal: Seeds spread by birds and water. Rhizomes and fruit containing seeds also spread in dumped garden waste.

Local notes: Common around Yungaburra some infestations along the Lower Peterson Ck.

Control - dig up plants make sure to get most of the tubers, basal spraying with herbicide.

More weeds

Weeds Why bother? - Declared Weeds - Lantana - Local Law Declared weeds

Environmental Weeds - A - B (this page) - C - K - L - R - S - Z - Weed glossary

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