|
Myrte-Leaf Milkwort | CW0001 |
Coast Action/Coastcare
August, 2001 |  |
Introduction
Botanical Name: Polygala myrtifolia
Family: Polygalaceae
Origin: South Africa
Distribution
Weed Dispersal
Seed is dispersed by birds, ants, wind and water or from dumped garden waste.
Indigenous Look-a-likes
Coast Beard Heath, Leucopogon parviflorus
Seedlings are easily mistaken. Leaves are stiff, bright green, paler underneath and more pointed above the middle. Flowers and berries are white.
Coast Tea-tree, Leptospermum laevigatum
Seedlings are easily mistaken. Flowers are white with five petals; cup-like seed capsules.
Identification
Form
SHRUB- leafy, evergreen shrub up to 3m high.
Leaf
Spirally arranged, smooth, dull, pale-green leaves, 1- 4 cm long, with rounded or blunt tips. Yellowing leaves are sometimes retained on the bush.
Flower
Purple almost pea-like flower with a white
‘Brush’ emerging from the central folded petals. A few flowers occur at the end of branch tips. Flowers any time, but mainly from September to October.
|
Pods
Flattened, green pods which, when ripe, turn brown and split open to release two hard, dark-coloured seeds, attached to fine hairs.
Management
Permission should be sought from the land manager before any weed control is undertaken.
Removal Methods
Remove small and scattered plants first, then work from the least towards the most infested areas. Best removed prior to flowering. Myrtle-leaf Milkwort has woody, spreading surface laterals and some tap roots. Roots rarely regrow if cut.
Small Plants
| Hand pull or grub out with a mattock or similair. |
| Hot fire kills mature plants and results in prolific seed germination. Hand pull seedlings soon after any fire in the area. |
Large, Established Plants
|
| Cut off at ground level with a saw or pruners. Stumps rarely regrow. |
Disposal
If pods are present, stack and burn plants in a hot fire, or seal in strong bags and take to the tip. Other plants can be left to decompose on the ground with their roots in the air.
Maintenance
Monitor sites regularly for regrowth or new seedlings for at least 2- 3 years. Pull out seedlings. Cut and paint or spray regrowth with a suitable herbicide when growth is most active. Mulching with appropriate material will minimise seed germination.
Life Cycle
The life cycle may vary according to seasons and site conditions such as soil type, aspect and location.
Replacement Plants
Replace Myrtle-leaf Milkwort with appropriate indigenous plants. Encourage indigenous plant regeneration. Seek advice from your local indigenous nursery or your NRE Coast Action/Coastcare facilitator.
Herbicide Recommendations
- Always consider manual weed removal methods before herbicide treatments, to avoid the unnecessary introduction of
- herbicides into the natural environment.
- Information on up-to-date herbicide treatment is available from herbicide companies.
- Users of herbicides should read the label fully, follow directions carefully and ensure that correct precautions and procedures are applied. To do otherwise is at the user’s own risk.
- It is advisable for at least one member of any environment group to have undertaken an approved chemical safety course. See local TAFE courses.
Did you know?
- Myrtle-leaf Milkwort is also known as Bellarine Pea
- It is an invasive plant that is a very serious threat to indigenous vegetation as it competes with indigenous shrubs and shades out native ground flora.
- It can flower frequently at any time of the year and forms dense thickets, usually as understorey, in dune vegetation.
- Seeds survive in the soil for 2- 3 years, germinating in the open or under dense vegetation.
- Small plants, 45 cm in height, are able to set seeds.
- Myrtle-leaf Milkwort was introduced as a garden plant to Australia. It is an attractive plant, and is possibly still available from commercial nurseries.
- A non-weedy variety called Polygala myrtifolia var. grandiflora is readily available in nurseries. It has larger, deeper purple flowers, narrower leaves and is not yet recorded as producing seeds in Victoria
Success Story!
Queenscliff Primary School has had good results clearing Myrtle-leaf Milkwort from dune woodland over a four year period. Plants were mainly pulled or grubbed out, with no regrowth occurring on untreated stumps. Seedlings continue to appear and are regularly pulled out. Some regeneration of indigenous plants in cleared areas has occurred.
Feedback
New information is vital. Please inform your local NRE Coast Action/Coastcare facilitator of your weed management results.
References
- Carr, G.W., Yugovic, J.V., Robinson, K.E. (1992). Environmental Weed Invasions in Victoria. Department of Natural Resources and Environment, & Ecological Horticulture Pty. Ltd. Melbourne
- Robertson, M. (1994). Stop Bushland Weeds. Nature Conservation Society of South Australia Inc., Adelaide.
- Carter, R.J., Cooke, D.A., Chapman, G. & Sheridan, P. (1991). South African Milkworts, Polygala spp., in southern Australia, Plant Invasions. The incidence of environmental weeds in Australia. Kowari 2. Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, Canberra.
|
The advice provided in this publication is intended as a source of information only. Always read the label before using any of the products mentioned. The State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication.
|
