Toxic weed getting out of hand in Hawks Nest Myall Coast Port Stephens by News Of The Area - Modern Media - July 18, 2024 Bitou Buster volunteer Gordon Blair with a poisonous mother-of-millions plant from the Boulevarde at Winda Woppa, Hawks Nest. VOLUNTEER weed-fighters are worried a very toxic weed is getting out-of-hand in and around the Hawks Nest area. Hawks Nest Tea Gardens Bitou Busters fear that the invasive mother-of-millions is rapidly re-establishing itself along the dunes despite their regular weeding efforts. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Mother-of-millions is forming dense communities that are spreading into the dunes and bushland, probably from seeds or plant parts inadvertently brought in on machinery, blown off trailers or deliberately dumped as garden-waste. “The name ‘mother-of-millions’ may conjure up images of comfort and caring, but this red-flowered ornamental plant is a real killer,” Bitou Buster volunteer Adrienne Ingram said. “Not only is it poisonous to people and pets, but it constitutes a serious risk to stock, as poisoned cattle die of heart failure. “The toxins are present in all parts of the plant, although the red, bell-shaped flowers are five times more poisonous than the leaves and stems.” Mother-of-millions are in flower from May through to November in this region. In one sense, mother-of-millions is a very apt name for this Class 4 Noxious Weed. Each plant can produce hundreds of seeds that can survive in the soil for a number of years. The plants reproduce from seeds, leaves, stems and root fragments. When the fragments fall to the ground – dropped during control efforts or spread via mowing or slashing – they put down roots and re-establish as new plants. As a Class 4 Noxious Weed in the MidCoast area, the plant must be managed to continuously stop its ability to spread. It must not be sold, propagated or knowingly distributed. To control mother-of-millions, it is best to hand-pull plants, using gloves. All plant parts should be bagged and placed in the red bin. Although individual plants are easy to remove, infestations are difficult to control due to the ability of all plant parts left behind to re-shoot. Follow-up weeding is a must, as seeds and dropped plant parts will otherwise quickly re-infest the site. Once removed, the infested area should be revegetated with more desirable plants to provide competition to future mother-of-millions seedlings and plantlets. If it is in your garden perhaps think about planting Australian natives such as Christmas bell, midgen berry and Westringia.
