Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2002
From: Kate Robinson

Has anyone had any practical experience in removing Gazania sp. with herbicides? The Shire of Quairading have become concerned about the Gazania that is spreading in the Shire, particularly into the nature reserves that have become infested on the outskirts of town.

After searching my references and the internet, the only lead I have come up with so far is a request from the Jan Juc Coast Action Group (dated 3 Dec 1997) to Coastcarers for information about any herbicides that may be effective in controlling Gazania. The group had apparantly had little success with Roundup.

I was wondering if you have any recommendations as to what control measures the Shire of Quairading should undertake in controlling Gazania.

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Also from my direct experience they are rapidly becoming a problem throughout the Sunbury district in Victoria.

They are one of the 'Cape Brooms' waiting in the wings!

By the time the vested interests finally loose out and the species is finally declared a noxious weed the infestations will be well beyond eradication.

both will eat just about anything to non-existance.

Here are a couple of examples of our entrenched weeds to illistrate the point I am trying to make:

Gorse was introduced to Australia in the early 1800's as a hedge plant and it rapidly spread out of control. It now infests thousands of square kilometres of grazing land, national parks and public land. It costs many $millions annually in lost agricultural production and control/erradication programs. It is a noxious weed in all or most states and is a Weed Of National Significance.
Paterson's Curse has a similar story.
Cape Broom, from South Africa, as named plant of the year in 1988 by the nursery/garden industry and by 1994 it was listed as a noxious weed under Victoria's CaLP Act.
Gazanias are another one of these weeds that is 'waiting in the wings'.
It is a much more viable option to ban Gazanias now and prevent the species from becoming a problem of the same magnitude as Gorse or Paterson's Curse.
We are supposed to learn from history but successive generations of Australians are ignoring it when it comes to exotic plants.