Freesia Hybrid

About this weed

This popular fragrant garden plant is a garden escapee and a serious weed in most urban bushlands. Freesias are prolific seeders. Not only do they produce hundreds of seeds per plant, they also reproduce vegetatively by producing corms along the stems. Unfortunately, they are still widely available as a garden plant as it is easy to establish and, as they die back in summer, they need little watering. Freesias flower in spring and are a hybrid of two South African species.

Description

There are a number of Freesia hybrids found in urban bushland. All are cormous perennials that grow to 0.4 m high with trumpet-like cream, white, yellow or purple flowers in spring. They all die back each summer to an underground corm. Generally they will survive fire.

Impact on Bushland

If left will spread over bushland and may impact on plant communities.

Location

Occurs on the Swan Coastal Plain and through various areas in the South-West Province on grey-white sand, lateritic soils or sandy clay. Also amongst grasses in woodland or in disturbed areas.

Priority for removal

High: major threat to the conservation values of Banksia woodlands and South-West Province.

Management (hand)

If hand removing care must be taken to remove all corms.

Management (herbicide)

Spot spray metsulfuron methyl 0.2 g/15 L + Pulse or 2.5-5 g/ha + Pulse. Apply just on flowering at corm exhaustion. Read the manufacturers’ labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. Optimal months for spraying are July and August.

Flowering month/s

August, September

Flower colour/s

Yellow, Purple, White

Information source

https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/18392

Additional information

https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/weeds/swanweeds/

Hussey, B.M.J., Keighery, G.J., Dodd, J., Lloyd, S.G. and Cousens, R.D. (2007) Western weeds. A guide to the weeds of Western Australia, Second Edition, The Weeds Society of Western Australia, Victoria Park, Western Australia.

Freesia Hybrid images