Priority invasive plants
Learn more about the region's invasive plants identified as priorities in our Biosecurity Plan.
Through our biosecurity planning process, we assessed all of the invasive plants known to occur in our region. This helped to identify the species that should be prioritised through our invasive plant management. A number of factors were considered such as:
- the potential impacts of each species; and
- its likelihood of further spread if left unmanaged
- the management tools available.
By identifying priority species, we are able to focus control activities to maximise their effectiveness.
Further information (including images, descriptions and control methods) can be found by following the links to the Biosecurity Queensland website.
Ground covers, succulents and cacti
Ground covers, succulents and cacti
- Asparagus fern: basket/ground (Asparagus aethiopicus cv. Sprengeri)*
- Asparagus fern: climbing/wild (Asparagus africanus)*
- Asparagus fern: feathered/ferny (Asparagus plumosus)*
- Buffel grass (or African foxtail) (Cenchrus ciliaris)
- Cow pea (Macrotyloma axillare var. axillare)
- Colombian wax weed (Cuphea carthagenensis)
- Creeping lantana(or trailing lantana) (Lantana montevidensis)*
- Dyschoriste (Dyschoriste depressa)
- Giant tropical salvia (Brillantaisia lamium)
- Ginger: Kahili (or yellow ginger lily, wild ginger) (Hedychium gardnerianum)*
- Ginger: yellow (or cream ginger, cream garland lily) (Hedychium flavescens)*
- Ginger: white (or butterfly ginger, garland flower) (or butterfly ginger) (Hedychium coronarium)*
- Glory lily (or fire/flame lily) (Gloriosa superba)
- Mistflower (Ageratina riparia)
- Prickly Pear (Opuntia stricta syn O. inermis)
- Purple-leaved plectranthus (or African spur flower, candle plant) (Plectranthus ciliatus)
- Ruellia (ceeping ruellia or water bluebell) (Ruellia squarrosa)
- Singapore daisy (Sphagneticola trilobata)*
- Sicklethorn (or single-leaved asparagus) (Asparagus falcatus)
- Wild petunia (or Mexican bluebell) (Ruellia simplex syn R. tweediana)
* Restricted under the Biosecurity Act 2014. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Restricted invasive plants fact sheet.
Pasture weeds
Pasture weeds
- annual ragweed (ambrosia, bitterweed, hayfever weed) (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)*
- African lovegrass (or Boer love grass, weeping grass) (Eragrostis curvula)
- castor oil plant (Ricinus communis)
- crofton weed (or catweed, hemp agrimony) (Ageratina adenophora)
- fire weed (Madagascar ragwort) (Senecio madagascariensis)*
- giant parramatta grass (Bloomsbury grass, smutgrass) (Sporobolus fertilis)*
- giant rat’s tail grass (or cat’s tail) (Sporobolus pyramidalis, S. natalensis)*
- grader grass (or oatgrass, habana grass, kangaroo grass) (Themeda quadrivalvis)
- groundsel bush (or consumption weed, water bush) (Baccharis halimifolia)*
- parthenium (or bitter weed) (Parthenium hysterophorus)*
- praxelis ( Praxelis clematidea)
- thatch grass (or thatching grass) (Hyparrhenia rufa subsp. rufa)
* Restricted under the Biosecurity Act 2014. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Restricted invasive plants fact sheet.
Shrubs
Shrubs
- Australian Holly (or Christmas holly) (Ardisia crenata & Ardisia crispa)
- bitou bush (or jungle flower, South African star bush) (Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundifolia)*
- bloody berry (or baby pepper, pigeon berry) (Rivina humilis)
- giant devil’s fig (Solanum chrysotrichum syn. Solanum hispidum)
- groundsel bush (Baccharis halimifolia)*
- ochna(Micky Mouse plant, bird’s eye bush) (Ochna serrulata)
- shoe-button ardisia (or China scrub) (Ardisia elliptica)
* Restricted under the Biosecurity Act 2014. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Restricted invasive plants fact sheet.
Trees
Trees
- broad leaf pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius)*
- camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora)*
- Chinese celtis (Celtis sinensis)*
- golden trumpet tree (Handroanthus chrysotrichus syn. Tabebuia chrysotricha)
- honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos incl. cultivars and varieties) (Gleditsia triacanthos incl. cultivars and varieties)*
- Mexican bean tree (Cecropia pachystachya, C. palmata and C. peltata)*
- satinleaf (Chrysophyllum oliviforme)
- tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
* Restricted under the Biosecurity Act 2014. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Restricted invasive plants fact sheet.
Vines
Vines
- air potato (or bitter yam, wild yam) (Dioscorea bulbifera)
- balloon vine (or heartseed vine) (Cardiospermum grandiflorum)*
- blue morning glory (or blue dawn flower) (Ipomoea indica)
- cat’s claw creeper (or funnel creeper, yellow trumpet vine) (Dolichandra unguis-cati)*
- coastal morning glory (or Cairo morning glory, mile a minute vine) (Ipomoea cairica)
- Dutchman's pipe (or calico flower) (Aristolochia spp. other than native species)*
- fragrant thunbergia (or angel wings, sweet clockvine, white lady) (Thunbergia fragrans)
- gidee-gidee (or bead vine, crab’s eye, jequirity, rosary pea) (Abrus precatorius)
- glycine (perennial soybean, tropical legume) (Neonotonia wightii)
- hiptage (Hiptage benghalensis)
- kudzu (or Japanese arrowroot) (Pueraria montana var. lobata, syn. P. lobata, P. triloba other than in the Torres Strait Islands)*
- madeira vine (or bridal wreath, heartleaf, lamb’s tail vine) (Anredera cordifolia)*
- moth vine (or bladder flower, milk vine) (Araujia sericifera)
- thunbergia (or Bengal, blue trumpet, sky vine) (Thunbergia grandiflora syn. T laurifolia)*
* Restricted under the Biosecurity Act 2014. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Restricted invasive plants fact sheet.
Water weeds
Water weeds
- blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea subsp. zanzibarensis)
- cabomba (or fanwort, fish grass, Washington plant) (Cabomba caroliniana)*
- hygrophila (Gulf swamp weed, glush weed) (Hygrophila costata)*
- hymenachne (Hymenachne amplexicaulis)*
- kidney-leaf mud plantain (Heteranthera reniformis)
- parrot’s feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)
- pond apple (or Cherimoya) (Annona glabra)*
- saggitaria (or arrowhead) (Sagittaria platyphylla)*
- salvinia(or kariba weed, water fern) (Salvinia molesta)*
- senegal tea ( Gymnocoronis spilanthoides)*
- water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes)*
- water lettuce ( Pistia stratiotes)*
- water poppy (Hydrocleys nymphoides)
* Restricted under the Biosecurity Act 2014. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Restricted invasive plants fact sheet.