Italian Buckthorn
Note Number: CW0004
Published: August, 2001
Reviewed: 26 October 2010
Introduction
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Botanical Name: Rhammus alaternus
Family: Rhamnaceae
Origin: Mediterranean region
Distribution
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Weed Dispersal
Birds and other animals eat the fruit and spread seed in their droppings. Dumped garden waste, laden with berries, contribute to seed spread.
Indigenous Look-a-likes
Sea Box, Alyxia buxifolia
Has oval, dark-green, smooth, hard, opposite leaves, paler underneath, and without toothed margins. Flowers have 5 White petals, Fruits are red berries. Shrub size is smaller than Italian Buckthorn.
Has dark-green, coarsely-toothed, opposite leaves with white hairs underneath. Flowers Oct-Jan.
Rare bitter-bush, Adriana quadripartita
Is the same as above except totally hairless and only occurs around Port Phillip Heads in Victoria.
Identification
| Form SHRUB- Woody, densely branched, evergreen shrub up to 4m high. |
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| Leaf Glossy dark-green leathery, short-stalked leaves, 2-7.5 cm long, with slightly toothed margins. Leaf underside is paler. Leaves are on alternate sides of stems |
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| Fruit Green, pea-sized berries, containing several seeds, occur in tight clusters and ripen through red to black. |
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| Flower Small, inconspicuous, pale green, stalked flowers grow in clusters along small spikes in August to September. |
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Management
Permission should be sought from the land manager before any weed control is undertaken.
Removal methods
Remove small and scattered plants first and then target outer edges of larger infestations. Best removed before plants fruit. Italian Buckthorn has a deep tap root and woody, branched roots that will regrow if cut.| Small Plants | |
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| Hand pull or grub out. |  |
| Large Established Plants | |
| Cut roots below main trunk and lever out. Use light machinery if necessary. |  |
| Alternatively, cut off at ground level with a saw or pruners. |  |
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Immediately paint or spray the cut stump with herbicide to prevent regrowth. Removing the stump to below soil level may prevent reshooting. |
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Disposal
If berries 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. Pull out seedlings. Cut and paint or spray stump regrowth with herbicide.
Life Cycle
The life cycle may vary according to seasons and site conditions such as soil type, aspect and location.
Replacement Plants
Replace Italian Buckthorn with indigenous plants. Encourage indigenous plant regeneration. Seek advice from you 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?
- Italian Buckthorn is an invasive plant and a very serious threat to indigenous vegetation.
- Even small seedlings can be hard to pull out due to their strong, wiry roots.
- Italian Buckthorn is often available from commercial nurseries.
- Italian Buckthorn was introduced to Australia as a garden plant, and is planted in hedges in some localities.
- An Italian Buckthorn hedge in Queenscliff is listed as a heritage feature in the township - one of life’s small ironies!
- There are several very old specimens in Port Fairy Botanical Gardens.
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 to Natural Resources and Environment, & Ecological Horticulture Pty Ltd, Melbourne
- Robertson, M, (1994) Stop Bushland Weeds. Nature Conservation Society of South Australia Inc., Adelaide
Acknowledgments
This Information Note was developed by Coast Action/Coastcare.
