DistantNews
Support us
Australian native plant sold at Bunnings nominated as a significant weed
🇦🇺 Australia /Environment & Climate

Australian native plant sold at Bunnings nominated as a significant weed

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • The Invasive Species Council has nominated Polygala myrtifolia, commonly sold as "sweet pea," as a significant weed in Australia due to its invasive nature.
  • The plant, native to southern Africa, is aggressively overtaking coastal areas, displacing native flora and impacting wildlife habitats.
  • Despite its invasive status, Polygala is still sold at major retailers like Bunnings, prompting calls for better regulation of plant sales.

A popular garden favorite, Polygala myrtifolia, known by deceptive names such as "sweet pea" and "parrot bush," is increasingly recognized as a serious environmental threat in Australia. The Invasive Species Council has nominated the plant, originally from southern Africa, as one of Australia's most significant weeds, highlighting its aggressive colonization of the nation's coastline.

It just takes over.

— Carol BoothDescribing the aggressive growth of Polygala myrtifolia.

This thick shrub is outcompeting native plants, particularly along coastal regions, and fundamentally altering habitats. "It just takes over," explained Carol Booth, policy director at the Invasive Species Council. "It forms a dense shrub layer which excludes native plants, mainly on and near the coast, but it also transforms the habitat and, through that, deprives native wildlife of important resources."

It forms a dense shrub layer which excludes native plants, mainly on and near the coast, but it also transforms the habitat and, through that, deprives native wildlife of important resources.

— Carol BoothExplaining the ecological impact of the invasive plant.

Despite its ecological impact, Polygala myrtifolia and its hybrids continue to be sold in potted forms at major retail chains, including Bunnings. This practice has drawn criticism, especially following a similar issue last year where the council targeted Bunnings for selling gazania seeds, which are banned in some Australian states. Bunnings has stated it focuses on selling hybrids that differ from the specific invasive species and will continue to monitor regulations, advising customers to check plant labels.

Plant regulation in Australia is a complete mess.

— Carol BoothCriticizing the current state of plant regulation in Australia.

Dr. Booth criticized Australia's plant regulation system, calling it "a complete mess." She argues that current regulations are not aligned with ecological risks and do not effectively prevent invasions, ultimately not serving the public interest. The Invasive Species Council estimates that around 3,000 introduced plant species have naturalized in Australia, with over 1,000 considered invasive and harmful to native ecosystems. The council advocates for milkwort to be added to lists of banned plants for sale, emphasizing the urgent need for updated national weed lists.

It's not aligned with risk, it's not focused on preventing most invasions and it's not in the public interest.

— Carol BoothFurther elaborating on the flaws in Australia's plant regulation system.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog