Weed of the month

WEED INDENTIFICATION

Bitou Bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundata)

                               

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What does it look like?

Bitou bush is a woody shrub that grows 1–2 m tall and 2–6 m wide. It sometimes grows along the ground and develops a creeping habit under shade. It can also climb up over other plants up to 10 m.

Leaves are leathery, semi succulent and bright green

Flowers are bright yellow like daisy flowers with 11–13 petals, clustered on the end of branches

Fruit are green when young, becoming purplish-black when ripe

Seeds are ribbed and egg shaped. They are ale to stay on the plant for up to a year

Stems are woody and branched and are often purple

Where is it found?

African boxthorn grows across NSW and is most common on well drained soils of the western slopes and plains.

This tree was brought to Australia from South Africa in the mid-1800s as a hedge plant and has spread from around old homesteads and urban areas

What type of environment does it grow in?

Bitou bush grows along much of the NSW coast. There are also some infestations around Wagga Wagga, and Menindee in the Mallee vegetation of western NSW.

Bitou bush grows on a wide range of soil types but prefers sandy or medium-textured soils with low fertility. It grows poorly in wet or swampy soils

Control

Successful weed control requires follow up after the initial efforts. This means looking for and killing regrowth or new seedlings. Using a combination of control methods is usually more successful.

To manage bitou bush:

  • control isolated plants as soon as practical
  • control seedlings and young plants regularly before they produce seeds to exhaust the soil seedbank
  • leave dead plants in place to prevent movement of people and animals through the area, which can prevent the spread of bitou seeds and other weeds from establishing
  • alternatively, mulch, trample or burn (if removal is necessary) then revegetate treated areas with desirable plant species
  • check previously infested areas after fire, slashing and spraying, as some plants resprout
  • use biological control agents
  • Physical removal by
  • Hand, machine, fire, biological control, chemical control, spraying, stem injection, cut stump method

Prevention

Try to keep uninfested areas clear of bitou bush by:

  • restricting vehicle access to infested areas
  • if vehicles are in infested areas they should be cleaned before leaving the site
  • plant native plants to compete with bitou seedlings

 

For further advice and assistance with information, select the link and visit

https://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/AfricanBoxthorn

Or please contact our weed control team at compliance@berriganshire.nsw.gov.au

Note: This information has been provided by the NSW Government DPI

 

 

 

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