Priority Weeds in Bellingen Shire

How does this weed affect you?

Tropical soda apple is a weed that can significantly reduce pasture productivity. It spreads very quickly and:

• can replace one hectare of pasture in 6 months from just a few plants
• forms dense thickets that prevent livestock from accessing shade and water
• has sharp prickles that can injure people and animals
• can be poisonous to people if eaten in large quantities
• outcompetes native plants
• hosts many crop pests and diseases including viruses, fungi and insects that damage fruit and vegetable crops especially tomatoes, potatoes and capsicum.

Each plant produces up to 45 000 seeds per year. In the USA, this plant infested over half a million hectares in just 5 years

What does it look like? 

Tropical soda apple is an upright, branching, perennial shrub growing up to 2 m. In cooler climates with multiple frosts it is an annual plant. It has cream coloured, tapered prickles up to 12 mm long on most parts of the plant.

Leaves are:

• green with cream-coloured veins
• 10–20 cm long and 6–15 cm wide
• divided with 5–7 lobes
• covered in short soft velvet-like hairs
• prickly along the veins especially the main vein.

Flowers are:

• white
• 1.5–2.0 cm wide
• star shaped with 5 pointed petals that curve backwards
• in clusters of 3–6 on a short stem
• present all year round when temperatures are warm enough, but flowering does not occur when night temperatures are 8°C or below regardless of daytime temperatures.

Fruit are:

• round
• 2–3 cm in diameter
• pale green with dark green veins when young (they look like small watermelons)
• yellow and golf ball-size when mature
• abundant, with up to 150 on each plant yearly, each containing up to 400 seeds.

Seeds are:

• reddish brown when mature and white when immature
• 2.5–3 mm wide
• flat
• covered in a sticky coating.

Stems are:

• broad at the base
• branched with cream-coloured prickles to 12 mm long.

Roots are:

• extensive and include lateral roots up to 30 cm deep that spread up to 1.8 m from the base of the plant.

Similar looking plants

Tropical soda apple looks like several other solanum weeds:

• Giant devil’s fig (Solanum chrysotrichum), which is often taller (up to 4 m) and has shorter (2–6 mm) green prickles. Its flowers are in larger clusters of up to 50 flowers, and the leaves have reddish hairs when young with no hairs on top when mature.
• Devil’s fig (Solanum torvum), which is up to 3 m tall. It does not always have prickles on the leaves and the leaves are not as deeply lobed. Its flowers are in clusters of 15 - 100 rather than just 3-6.
• Devil’s apple (Solanum capsicoides), which has bright red fruit when ripe, yellow prickles and is usually only up to 1 m tall.

More similar species are described in the Tropical Soda Apple Best Practice Manual - see the link in more information below.
 

Where is it found?

Tropical soda apple was first identified in Australia in the upper Macleay valley in August 2010. In NSW all infestations are under control programs to eradicate the plant.

Currently infestations are:

• across the North Coast region with dense infestations along the Macleay and Clarence rivers
• in the Northern Tablelands within the upper Macleay valley, near the Gibraltar Range and in Tenterfield Shire
• in the Hunter region on the mid coast.

Tropical soda apple is a native of north eastern Argentina, south eastern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It has naturalised in the USA, Africa, India, Nepal, West Indies, Honduras, Mexico, and outside its native range in South America. In Australia it is also present in Queensland.

How does it spread?
By Seed: 

Tropical soda apple plants can produce fruit 75 days after germinating. Plants may produce thousands of seeds per plant per year. The seed has high viability and germination rates are often over 90% and as high as 100%. Most seed sprouts within 24 months of the fruit splitting. Seeds passing through an animal are more likely to germinate.

Seeds are viable in:

• ripe (yellow) fruit over 1 cm in diameter
• immature green fruit over 1.5 cm

In NSW most seed are spread by cattle. They seek out and eat the sweet-smelling fruit and spread seeds in their manure. Infestations have been found by tracing cattle movements from infested properties using the National Livestock Identification Scheme database. Other animals that eat and spread the seeds include:

• horses
• feral deer
• rodents
• birds
• pigs.

 Seeds are also spread:

• in water, especially flood water as the fruit can float
• in contaminated fodder
• in contaminated soil
• by sticking to vehicles or machinery.

By plant parts

Tropical soda apple can regenerate from root and stem material which can be moved by machinery or poor disposal.

How does this weed affect you?

Seeded bananas have inedible fruit with lots of large seeds. Seeded and ornamental banana species have spread from gardens and invaded natural areas including rainforests. These plants:

• compete with native understorey plants
• alter soil nutrient levels
• could host diseases and pests that could affect commercial banana plantations.

What does it look like?

Seeded bananas have similar foliage to edible banana plants, but have inedible fruit containing many large seeds. Three species are problematic as potential invasive weeds: 

Musa acuminata (seeded banana) looks similar to a commercial ladyfinger banana plant, but with a longer petiole (leaf stalk) and fruit containing over 200 seeds each. These plants have been found naturalising in parts of the North Coast (Lismore and Bellingen shires) and south of Sydney. 

Musa ornata and Musa velutina (ornamental bananas) have been grown and produced as ornamentals due to their palm-like foliage and eye-catching bright pink fruit on upright stalks. 

Most edible bananas are seedless cultivars that are derived from hybridisations of Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. There are also native Australian species of bananas - Musa banksii and Musa jackeyi. Further research is underway to establish and identify the varieties of seeded and ornamental bananas that are currently naturalising and posing biosecurity risks in NSW. 

Seeded bananas have similar foliage to edible banana plants, but have inedible fruit containing many large seeds. They are environmental weeds that also pose biosecurity risks to commercial banana production. 

What type of environment does it grow in?

Plants grow in areas with high rainfall and soils with high nutrient levels (e.g. basalt derived soils). They tolerate full sun and up to 80% shade. They do not tolerate frost.

Plants grow in:

• forests including shady understorey
• along creekbanks
• paddocks
• backyards.

How does it spread?

Seeded banana plants have been planted as ornamentals in gardens.

By seed

Birds, possums, bats, water rats and other animals eat the fruit and spread the seeds. Fruit is also spread by flowing water.

By plant parts 

Banana plants sucker forming new plants from the base of the parent plant.

How does this weed affect you?

Cockspur coral trees can dominate waterways and floodplains where they:

• outcompete native vegetation
• reduce food and habitat for native animals
• is mildly poisonous to people
• have major negative effects on soil stability and nutrient levels.

Human health

Cockspur coral tree leaves can make people feel unwell if eaten.

 What to do if a person is poisoned:

• If the patient is unconscious, unresponsive or having difficulty breathing dial 000 or get to the emergency section of a hospital immediately.
• If the patient is conscious and responsive call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 or your doctor.

What does it look like?

Cockspur coral is a small tree or shrub trees that can grow to 6 m tall. They lose their leaves in winter.

Leaves are:

Made up of three leaflets which are:

• 3–6 cm long and 2–5 cm wide
• oval with a narrow tip and smooth edges
• on a stalk 5–10 cm long
• hairless.

Flowers are:

• scarlet-red
• 4–5 cm long
• pea-shaped with the largest petal bent backwards when the flower is fully open
• in clusters 8–30 cm long at the ends of branches
  • often with three groups of flowers
  • with 20–40 flowers in each group
• present in spring.

Fruit are:

• large curved pods
• 8–22 cm long
• green when young, dark brown or black when mature
• slightly narrowed around each seed (3–12 seeds/pod).

Seeds are:

• about 10–15 mm long
• brown or black
• shiny.

Stems:

• have cone-shaped prickles
• brown or greyish and rough-barked when mature
• green, shiny and hairless when young.

Similar looking plants

Cockspur coral tree looks similar to:

• another weed called the common coral tree (Erythrina x sykesii) which has larger leaves and produces its flowers before new leaves appear in spring.
• the native batswing coral tree (Erythrina vespertilio) which has much wider leaves (up to 12 cm wide) and smaller, usually darker red flowers.
• the native Pine Mountain coral tree (Erythrina numerosa) which is a tree to 20 m in height with corky bark and stout prickles. The flowers are salmon to orange in colour.

Where is it found?

Cockspur coral tree has been grown as an ornamental garden plant. It has become invasive along waterways in coastal areas of New South Wales from Sydney to the Queensland border. There are also infestations in the Central West and Northern Tablelands.

It is native to South America.

What type of environment does it grow in?

Cockspur coral trees grow along riverbanks and on floodplains, swamps and wetlands. They can grow in tropical, sub-tropical and wet temperate areas.

How does it spread?

They were cultivated as an ornamental garden plant. 

By seed

Flowing water moves the pods and seeds. They can also be moved with garden waste.

By plant parts

Cut or broken branches can develop roots and form new plants. These can be spread by dumped garden waste or flood waters

How does this weed affect you? 

Red cestrum forms dense thickets. It:

• is poisonous to people, pets, livestock and native animals
• can cause skin rashes
• outcompetes native plants
• reduces food and shelter for native animals
• may reduce livestock productivity when infested pastures cannot be grazed due to poisoning
• can restrict movement of people and animals.

Other Cestrum species

Green cestrum(Cestrum parqui) and Lady of the night (Cestrum nocturnum) are also poisonous cestrum weeds. For information about these weeds use the WeedWise search functions.

Human poisoning

All parts of the plant are toxic, especially the berries.  Avoid touching the plant with bare skin and if the plant is accidentally touched wash the skin thoroughly.

What to do if a person is poisoned:

• If the patient is unconscious, unresponsive or having difficulty breathing dial 000 or get to the emergency section of a hospital immediately.
• If the patient is conscious and responsive call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 or your doctor.

Animal poisoning

Red cestrum contains alkaloids that are poisonous and can cause animal deaths.  Plants are poisonous to livestock including cattle and horses.

Remove livestock from paddocks when controlling red cestrum. Do not return livestock until plants have disintegrated or been removed.

What does it look like?

Red cestrum is a perennial shrub up to 5 m tall. It can be either single or multi-stemmed at the base. Most parts of the plant are covered with fine purple hairs.

Leaves are:

• dull green on top and paler green on the underside
• oval to spear shape with pointed tips
• 7–11.5 cm long, 2.5–5.5 cm wide
• hairy all over when young and then just on the veins when older
• on a stalk up to 1.5 cm long
• alternate along the stem
• smell foul when crushed (caution wear gloves when handling plants).

Flowers are:

• pinkish red to pinkish purple 
• tubular shaped with 5-7 triangular lobes at the end
• up to 23 mm long and up to 5 mm wide
• in tightly packed clusters 
• mostly present from winter to spring.

Fruit are:

• red or pink berries
• rounded
• 6–13 mm diameter.

Stems are:

• branched
• hairy with purple hairs when younger
• woody when older.

How does it spread?

Red cestrum has been planted in gardens as an ornamental plant.

By seeds

Red cestrum can start producing seeds when it is less than a year old. Each plant can produce up to 1500 seeds per year and the seeds can remain viable for up to 8 years. Birds eat the fruit and spread the seed in their droppings. If plants are on the edge of waterways the seeds spread downstream. Seeds could also be spread in contaminated soil or mud. 

By plant parts

Red cestrum can grow from stem and root fragments which can be spread by garden dumping. The plants sucker readily, which quickly increases the size of the infestations.