Weeds awareness

Echium Plantagineum

With its purple flowers, Paterson’s Curse is one of the most easily identifiable weeds of pastures, roadsides and disturbed land in the Yass Valley.  It is supposedly named after the Paterson family of Cumberoona, near Cowra, who planted it in their garden in the 1880s. In other parts of Australia it is sometimes called Salvation Jane. 

Paterson’s Curse is poisonous to stock with prolonged grazing leading to liver damage. Paterson’s curse is particularly toxic to horses, potentially causing death in as little as a few weeks. In addition to being toxic to animals.

Paterson’s Curse is no longer classified as a priority weed within the South East Regional LLS area, and as such Yass Valley Council’s Weed Inspectors are unable to issue control notices under the Biosecurity Act 2015.  It is only considered as a priority weed in the Hunter LLS Region due to the localised concentration of the Stockhorse and Thoroughbred industries.

Paterson’s Curse has been very prolific this year with the easing of drought conditions. Biocontrol agents have also been rather ineffective as their numbers have depleted over the past few years due to drought conditions. With the return of favourable seasonal conditions the biocontrol agent populations are expected to increase and with it the effectiveness of control. 

A number of effective herbicide control options are available, and residents are encouraged to seek professional agronomic advice on treatments that best suit your requirements.

Arctotheca calendula

Capeweed is a low growing annual weed that has been prolific across the Yass Valley this year with the easing of drought conditions. The distinctive yellow daisy-like flowers make it standout and it is a common sight across the Local Government Area.

Capeweed is a prolific seeding plant, capable of producing up to 4,000 seeds per plant and can quickly dominate paddocks and garden lawns.    

Chemical control is very effective on capeweed when applied pre-flowering but quickly becomes less effective once flowering commences with treatment at flowering focusing on plant suppression and restricting fertile seed setting. Capeweed can be poisonous to stock if digested in high quantities.

For more information and advice on identification and control, please visit the Local Land Services, Yass Valley Council Biosecurity Weeds Officer or your local agronomist.

21 October 2020

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