Tag Archives: Australia

Posts related to Australia

Gunniopsis septifraga

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Gunniopsis septifraga

Gunniopsis septifraga

Gunniopsis septifraga is a small plant that grows in salty soils of western Australia. It is a small plant that hugs the ground; the flowers are inconspicuous.  The foliage is often yellow-green but may be straw colored. G. septifraga is a member of the Aizoaceae, and thus it is a relative of many of the South African succulents such as Delosperma, Lithops, and Conophytum; several species of Gunniopsis are found in Australia.

There is not a lot of information on the Web about G. septifraga, but you can learn a bit about it or its habitat here and here. AustralianSucculents.com apparently doesn’t offer seed of G. septifraga, but they offer seed of many Australian succulents.

Posted by: Joe Shaw shawjoej@gmail.com

Cactoblastis Monument and Memorial Hall

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Cactoblastis

Cactoblastis Monument in Dalby, Queensland

Some guess that the prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) was introduced into Australia between1830 and 1850. The plant spread quickly over the drylands of Australia in the next decades and was declared “a noxious weed in Queensland in 1893.” Much of the area was so densely covered with prickly pear that the land could not be used for farming or ranching purposes. Mechanical and chemical attempts to eradicate prickly pear were of no avail. The introduction of the cactoblastis moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) completely controlled the infestation within 10 years.

A monument (above, right) to the victory is located in Dalby, Victoria.

“In 1925, prickly pear, the greatest example known to man of any noxious plant invasion, infested fifty million acres of land in Queensland, of which thirty million represented a complete coverage. The Dalby District was then heavily infested. The biological control investigation was undertaken by the Commonwealth Prickly Pear Board…Early in 1925 a small number of Cactorum insects was introduced from the Argentine by Alan Parkhurst…They were bred in very large numbers and liberated throughout the prickly pear territory. Within ten years the insects had destroyed all the dense masses of prickly pear…”

Memorial Hall

Cactoblastis Memorial Hall in Boonarga, Queensland

Also, a memorial hall to celebrate victory over the prickly pear was constructed in Boonarga, Queensland in 1936. The Cactoblastis Memorial Hall is presently used for community meetings, dances, and family functions, etc.

 

 

Posted by: Joe Shaw shawjoej@gmail.com

Foxes and Opuntias

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Red fox

Red fox

English red foxes were apparently introduced into Australia in 1855 to be hunted. Apparently, like certain Opuntia species, the foxes became pests. The really interesting thing is that foxes are reported to sometimes eat Opuntia fruit and thereby spread Opuntia seeds–helping the cacti colonize parts of Australia. Today, the Opuntia problem seems to have tapered off in Australia, but I wonder if foxes aren’t still a problem. It is very difficult to figure out some ecological questions.

The government of South Australia has published a brochure called “Prickly Pear Pest.” This brochure mentions the fox and Opuntia connection.

“[Opuntia] Infestations can easily expand and spread when segments break off and come in contact with soil or when the fruit is consumed and spread by birds and foxes.”

Posted by: Joe Shaw shawjoej@gmail.com

Ian Menkins Writes About Opuntia in Australia

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Ian Menkins in Australia writes:
Opuntia lindheimeri

Opuntia lindheimeri, photo by Ian Menkins 2009

“The laws relating to Opuntia go way back to the time when Opuntia stricta became a serious weed. Prior to that the government had actually encouraged people to grow certain species as potential cattle fodder in drought prone areas.

There have been a few isolated outbreaks of spinosior and prolifera in Australia which has kept the outdated laws alive, as it often takes little to create paranoia about a particular genus. My feeling about such outbreaks is they’ve always occurred around old homesteads or opal mines that have long been abandoned. It has often taken 20-50 years for these outbreaks to attain a weed-like proportion. Yet the authorities often rant and rave as if these outbreaks only happened yesterday and they blame modern gardeners and cacti enthusiasts.

All of the states in Australia have different laws. In Victoria you can legally grow Opuntia but not sell them, nor are you supposed to import them from overseas. In Western Australia (WA) they are very much frowned upon and I’ve heard of people having plants confiscated from their gardens. But the laws relating to plants are quite extreme in WA and only designed to favour native species. Yet I have seen Opuntia in WA gardens!

Tephrocactus and miniature South American opuntoids are also banned in Australia, though many people are growing them and there has never been a record of a weedy naturalisation of Tephrocactus in Australia. Also, most species will not grow outside of the controlled environment of a greenhouse. Apart from their glochids there is no valid reason why enthusiasts should not be allowed to grow and trade certain innocuous genera.”

Opuntia streptacantha in Australia, photo by Ian Menkins, 2009

Opuntia streptacantha in Australia, photo by Ian Menkins, 2009

Posted by: Joe Shaw shawjoej@gmail.com