Numerous plants have been introduced to the Northern Territory of Australia since colonisation began in the 1860s. Many have become invasive species or noxious weeds which by definition compete with native plants and suppress the growth of indigenous populations of both plants and animals.
A weed is broadly considered to be a plant that requires some form of action to reduce its negative effects on the economy, the environment and human health or amenity. XXX weeds are declared under legislative controls to reduce their impacts. [1]
The Weeds Management Act 2001 defines three classes of weeds:
All class A and class B weeds are also included as class C weeds. [2]
Botanical name | Common name | Declaration class |
---|---|---|
Alternanthera philoxeroides | Alligator weed | A |
Andropogon gayanus | Gamba grass | A, B |
Annona glabra | Pond apple | A |
Asphodelus fistulosus | Onion weed | A |
Austrocylindropuntia spp. | Opuntioid cacti | A |
Barleria prionitis | Barleria | A |
Cabomba spp. | Cabomba | A |
Chrysanthemoides monilifera | Bitou bush, boneseed | A |
Cryptostegia spp. | Rubber vines | A |
Cylindropuntia spp. | Opuntioid cacti, rope cacti | A |
Dalbergia sissoo | Longspine thornapple | A |
Datura ferox | Dalbergia | A |
Dolichandra unguis-cati syn. Macfadyena unguis-cati | Cat's claw creeper | A |
Echium plantagineum | Paterson's curse | A |
Eichhornia crassipes | Water hyacinth | A |
Hyparrhenia rufa | Thatch grass | A |
Jatropha curcas | Physic nut | A |
Jatropha gossypiifolia | Bellyache bush | A, B |
Lycium ferocissimum | African boxthorn | A |
Martynia annua | Devil's claw | A |
Mimosa pigra | Mimosa | A, B |
Myriophyllum aquaticum | Parrot's feather | A |
Nassella neesiana | Chilean needle grass | A |
Nassella tenuissima | Mexican feather grass | A |
Nassella trichotoma | Serrated tussock | A |
Neptunia plena | Water mimosa | A |
Neptunia oleraceae | Water mimosa | A |
Opuntia spp. | Prickly pears | A |
Parthenium hysterophorus | Parthenium weed | A |
Pereskia aculeata | Leaf cactus | A |
Prosopis spp. | Mesquite | A |
Rubus fruticose agg. | Blackberry | A |
Sagittaria platyphylla | Sagittaria | A |
Salix spp. | Willows | A |
Schinus terebinthifolius | Brazilian pepper | A, B |
Senegalia catechu syn. Acacia catechu | Cutch tree | A |
Tamarix aphylla | Athel pine | A, B |
Ulex europaeus | Gorse | A |
Vachellia nilotica syn. Acacia nilotica | Prickly acacia | A |
Ziziphus mauritiana | Chinee apple, Indian jujube | A |
Acanthospermum hispidum | Star burr, goat’s head | B |
Alternanthera pungens | Khaki weed | B |
Argemone ochroleuca | Mexican poppy | B |
Azadirachta indica | Neem | B |
Calotropis procera | Rubber bush | B |
Carthamus lanatus | Saffron thistle | B |
Cenchrus echinatus | Mossman River grass | B |
Cenchrus polystachios Syn. Pennisetum polystachion | Mission grass (perennial) | B |
Cenchrus setaceus | Fountain grass | B |
Emex australis | Spiny emex | B |
Hymenachne amplexicaulis | Olive hymenachne | B |
Hyptis capitata | Knob weed | B |
Hyptis suaveolens | Hyptis | B |
Lantana camara | Common lantana | B |
Lantana montevidensis | Creeping lantana | B |
Leonotis nepetifolia | Lion's tail | B |
Mimosa pudica | Common sensitive plant | B |
Parkinsonia aculeata | Parkinsonia | B |
Pistia stratiotes | Water lettuce | B |
Ricinus communis | Castor oil plant | B |
Salvinia molesta | Salvinia | B |
Senna alata | Candle bush | B |
Senna obtusifolia | Sicklepod | B |
Senna occidentalis | Coffee senna | B |
Sida acuta | Spinyhead sida | B |
Sida cordifolia | Flannel weed | B |
Sida rhombifolia | Paddy's lucerne | B |
Stachytarpheta spp. | Snake weeds | B |
Themeda quadrivalvis | Grader grass | B |
Tribulus cistoides | Caltrop | B |
Tribulus terrestris | Caltrop | B |
Xanthium strumarium Syn. Xanthium occidentale | Noogoora burr | B |
Xanthium spinosum | Bathurst burr | B |
Acroptilon repens | Creeping knapweed | C |
Ageratina riparia | Mistflower | C |
Amaranthus dubius | Chinese spinach | C |
Ambrosia artemisiifolia | Annual ragweed | C |
Ambrosia psilostachya | Perennial ragweed | C |
Anredera cordifolia | Madeira vine | C |
Asparagus asparagoides | Bridal creeper | C |
Asparagus scandens | Asparagus fern | C |
Asparagus declinatus | Bridal veil | C |
Asparagus aethiopicus | Ground asparagus | C |
Asparagus africanus | Climbing asparagus | C |
Asparagus plumosus syn. Asparagus setaceus | Climbing asparagus ferm | C |
Austroeupatorium inulaefolium | Austroeupatorium | C |
Baccharis halimifolia | Groundsel bush | C |
Boerhavia erecta | Erect spiderling | C |
Brachiaria paspaloides | Common signal grass | C |
Chromolaena odorata | Siam weed | C |
Clidemia hirta | Koster's curse | C |
Coix aquatica | Job's tears | C |
Croton hirtus | Hairy croton | C |
Cytisus scoparius | Scotch broom | C |
Datura spp. | Thornapples | C |
Digitaria fuscescens | Common crabgrass | C |
Digitaria insularis | Sourgrass | C |
Diodia sarmentosa | Tropical buttonweed | C |
Echinochloa glabrescens | Barnyard grass | C |
Echinochloa stagnina | Burgu millet | C |
Egeria densa | Dense waterweed | C |
Elodea canadensis | Canadian pondweed | C |
Equisetum spp. | Horsetails | C |
Eriocaulon truncatum | Short pipewort | C |
Eriocereus martinii | Harrisia cactus | C |
Eriochloa polystachya | Carib grass | C |
Fimbristylis umbellaris | Globular fimbristylis | C |
Genista linifolia | Flax-leaved broom | C |
Genista monspessulana | Montpellier broom | C |
Hybanthus attenuatus | Western greenviolet | C |
Hyptis brevipes | Lesser roundweed | C |
Ischaemum timorense | Centipede grass | C |
Kochia scoparia syn. Bassia scoparia | Burning bush | C |
Lagarosiphon major | Lagarosiphon | C |
Leptochloa chinensis | Red sprangletop, feathergrass | C |
Leptochloa panicea | Sprangletop | C |
Limnobium laevigatum | Amazon frogbit | C |
Limnocharis flava | Yellow burrhead, yellow sawah lettuce | C |
Miconia spp. | Velvet tree | C |
Mikania cordata | Heartleaf hempvine | C |
Mikania micrantha | Mikania, mile-a-minute | C |
Mimosa invisa | Giant sensitive plant | C |
Myriophyllum spicatum | Eurasian watermilfoil | C |
Orobanche spp. | Broomrapes | C |
Paederia foetida | Lesser Malayan stinkwort | C |
Piper aduncum | Spiked pepper | C |
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa | Downy rose myrtle | C |
Rotala indica | Indian toothcup | C |
Sacciolepis interrupta | Cupscale grass | C |
Salvinia cucullata | Salvinia | C |
Salvinia natans | Salvinia | C |
Schoenoplectus juncoides | Rock bulrush | C |
Scirpus maritimus Syn. Bolboschoenus maritimus | Sea clubrush | C |
Senecio madagascariensis | Fireweed | C |
Solanum elaeagnifolium | Silver leaf nightshade | C |
Sorghum halepense | Johnson grass | C |
Spermacoce mauritiana syn. Spermacoce exilis | Pacific false buttonweed | C |
Striga spp. | Witchweeds | C |
Trapa spp. | Floating water chestnuts | C |
Xanthium spp. | Burrs | C [3] |
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature reserves. It can also be caused by immobile, travel restricted populations of native or non-native wild animals.
Jacobaea vulgaris, syn. Senecio jacobaea, is a very common wild flower in the family Asteraceae that is native to northern Eurasia, usually in dry, open places, and has also been widely distributed as a weed elsewhere.
Yarra Ranges National Park is located in the Central Highlands of Australia's southeastern state Victoria, 107 km northeast of Melbourne. Established in 1995 and managed by the statutory authority Parks Victoria, the park features a carbon-rich, temperate rainforest and a subalpine eucalypt forest on its northern plateau. It is home to large stands of mountain ash, the tallest tree species in Australia and among the tallest in the world. A wide diversity of fauna make their home across the park's 76,003 hectares, including kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, platypuses and 120 species of native birds. Among the conservation challenges facing Yarra Ranges National Park are climate change and invasive species of weeds.
Weed control is a type of pest control, which attempts to stop or reduce growth of weeds, especially noxious weeds, with the aim of reducing their competition with desired flora and fauna including domesticated plants and livestock, and in natural settings preventing non native species competing with native species.
Casuarina equisetifolia, commonly known as coastal she-oak, horsetail she-oak, ironwood,beach sheoak, beach casuarina or whistling tree is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is native to Australia, New Guinea, Southeast Asia and India. It is a small to medium-sized, monoecious tree with scaly or furrowed bark on older specimens, drooping branchlets, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of 7 or 8, the fruit 10–24 mm (0.4–0.9 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long.
Invasive species in Australia are a serious threat to the native biodiversity, and an ongoing cost to Australian agriculture. Numerous species arrived with European maritime exploration and colonisation of Australia and steadily since then.
A number of introduced species, some of which have become invasive species, have been added to New Zealand's native flora and fauna. Both deliberate and accidental introductions have been made from the time of the first human settlement, with several waves of Polynesian people at some time before the year 1300, followed by Europeans after 1769.
Annona glabra is a tropical fruit tree in the family Annonaceae, in the same genus as the soursop and cherimoya. Common names include pond apple, alligator apple, swamp apple, corkwood, bobwood, and monkey apple. The tree is native to Florida in the United States, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and West Africa. It is common in the Everglades. The A. glabra tree is considered an invasive species in Sri Lanka and Australia. It grows in swamps, is tolerant of saltwater, and cannot grow in dry soil.
Anredera cordifolia, commonly known as the Madeira vine or mignonette vine, is a South American species of ornamental succulent vine of the family Basellaceae. The combination of fleshy leaves and thick aerial tubers makes this a very heavy vine. It smothers trees and other vegetation it grows on and can easily break branches and bring down entire trees on its own. Other names include lamb's tail and potato vine.
A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or livestock. Most noxious weeds have been introduced into an ecosystem by ignorance, mismanagement, or accident. Some noxious weeds are native. Typically they are plants that grow aggressively, multiply quickly without natural controls, and display adverse effects through contact or ingestion. Noxious weeds are a large problem in many parts of the world, greatly affecting areas of agriculture, forest management, nature reserves, parks and other open space.
Opuntia stricta is a species of large cactus that is endemic to the subtropical and tropical coastal areas of the Americas, especially around the Caribbean. Common names include erect prickly pear and nopal estricto (Spanish). The first description as Cactus strictus was published in 1803 by Adrian Hardy Haworth. In 1812 he moved the species to the genus Opuntia.
Lantana camara is a species of flowering plant within the verbena family (Verbenaceae), native to the American tropics. It is a very adaptable species, which can inhabit a wide variety of ecosystems; once it has been introduced into a habitat it spreads rapidly; between 45ºN and 45ºS and less than 1,400 metres in altitude.
A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals. Plants with characteristics that make them hazardous, aesthetically unappealing, difficult to control in managed environments, or otherwise unwanted in farm land, orchards, gardens, lawns, parks, recreational spaces, residential and industrial areas, may all be considered weeds. The concept of weeds is particularly significant in agriculture, where the presence of weeds in fields used to grow crops may cause major losses in yields. Invasive species, plants introduced to an environment where their presence negatively impacts the overall functioning and biodiversity of the ecosystem, may also sometimes be considered weeds.
Feral goats are an invasive animal species in Australia. First arriving in the 18th century with European settlers, feral goat populations originated from escaped domestic individuals. Today, feral goats are found across Australia, where they cause economic and environmental damage through overgrazing and competition with livestock and native marsupials.
Invasive species are a crucial threat to many native habitats and species of the United States and a significant cost to agriculture, forestry, and recreation. An invasive species refers to an organism that is not native to a specific region, this poses significant economic and environmental threats to its new habitat. The term "invasive species" can also refer to feral species or introduced diseases. Some introduced species, such as the dandelion, do not cause significant economic or ecologic damage and are not widely considered as invasive. Economic damages associated with invasive species' effects and control costs are estimated at $120 billion per year.
Andropogon gayanus, commonly known as gamba grass, Rhodesian blue grass, tambuki grass, and other names, is a species of grass native to most of the tropical and subtropical savannas of Africa.
In Australia, Mimosa pigra has been declared a noxious weed or given similar status under various weed or quarantine Acts. It has been ranked as the tenth most problematic weed and is listed on the Weeds of National Significance. It is currently restricted to the Northern Territory where it infests approximately 80,000 hectares of coastal floodplain.
Garlic mustard was introduced to North America as a culinary herb in the 1860s and it is considered an invasive species in much of North America. As of 2020 it has been documented in most of the Eastern United States and Canada, with scattered populations in the west. It is listed as a noxious or restricted plant in the following states: Alabama, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. A current map of its distribution in the United States can be found at the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDmapS).