Lachenalia

About this weed

Another garden escapee originally from southern Africa and introduced as a hardy garden bulb. Lachenalia is a genus of about 55 species native to southern Africa. At least four of those species have now naturalised around settlements and in urban bushland.  It is still widely grown in urban gardens and often the plant is spread to local bushland when green garden waste is dumped illegally.

 

Description

This hardy small bulb is another garden escapee. It produces small trumpet shaped red flowers. The plant dies down after flowering in winter and early spring and renews annually from the bulbils on the leaves. Seed and bulbils may be dispersed by soil and water. The time to first flowering is 2 to 3 years and the seedbank persists for 1 to 5 years. Generally it can survive fire.

Impact on Bushland

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

Location

Found in a few places in the South-West Province usually close to urban settlements.

Priority for removal

High: may become a major threat to conservation values anywhere it has taken hold.

Management (hand)

Physical removal can result in spread of bulbils. Try to minimise soil disturbance.

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. Read the manufacturers’ labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. August and September are the optimal months for spraying.

Flowering month/s

September

Flower colour/s

Red

Information source

https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/16091

Additional information

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

Lachenalia images