News release
Eyes peeled for boneseed
River patrols are a critical part of a Natural Resources SA Murray-Darling Basin (SAMDB)
district officer’s job, as they are instrumental in monitoring and keeping on top of declared
weeds along the River Murray.
Natural Resources SAMDB District Officer Scott Hutchens has been patrolling the river for
12 years, finding and controlling a variety of declared weeds from Blanchetown to the Lower
Lakes, and is impressed by the improvements he has witnessed over that time.
A recent weed patrol along a stretch of river between Caloote and Ponde discovered the
7/09/16
Media contact
Jayne Miller
Media Project Officer
Natural Resources
SA Murray-Darling Basin
Department of Environment, Water
and Natural Resources
Phone (08) 8580 1811
Mobile 0467 762 107
Email
Jayne.miller@sa.gov.au
www.environment.sa.gov.au
declared weed boneseed, so Mr Hutchens will be heading back by boat in coming weeks to
www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/
control the infestation, preventing the weed from seeding and spreading further.
samurraydarlingbasin
“Boneseed is a South African plant previously introduced as a garden plant and has now
established as a significant weed in Australia,” Mr Hutchens said.
“Its glossy green leaves and bright yellow daisy-like flowers make it easy to spot at this time
of year, as it’s a showy spring flowerer.
“Boneseed is reasonably easy to control by spraying with glyphosate or by hand pulling, but
years of regular follow up are required as the seeds in the soil will germinate year after year,
making it a challenging weed to stay on top of.
“We are making sure that we try to keep riverbanks free from these weeds.
“We spray and pull boneseed in often-challenging areas such as large expanses of cliff face
that can only be accessed by boat.”
Mr Hutchens said it was important for landholders adjoining the river to look out for
boneseed this spring while the weed was flowering and control it on their properties to
prevent more difficult-to-reach infestations on the cliffs.
Boneseed is declared under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 as a plant that
must be controlled to protect new sites from infestation.
For more information about boneseed or other pest plants contact Natural Resources Centre
Murray Bridge on 8532 9100.
Photo caption 1: Natural Resources SAMDB District Officer Scott Hutchens with flowering
boneseed along the banks of the River Murray, last week.
Photo caption2: Natural Resources SAMDB team find the declared weed boneseed along the
River Murray in challenging areas such as large expanses of cliff face that can only be accessed
by boat.