The village is less a village – more of a big property that needs to be maintained. One thing that they try and keep under control are the “bad” weeds. The edible and weeds with health benefits probably won’t be targetted but it’s the nasty’s that should be slowed down.
This month see’s the village focussed on Fireweed! More details below from the Department of Primary Industry.
In this issue
Weed of the Month – Fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis)
What is it?
Fireweed is a weed of national significance.
It is a Class 4 noxious weed in 18 local government areas of NSW, including Gosford, under the NSW Noxious Weeds Act 1993 (The plant must not be sold, propagated or knowingly distributed).
Fireweed is a pretty yet poisonous yellow flowering weed that is often found in paddocks and pastures.
It is an annual herb (that is a small plant) which originates in South Africa.
What does it look like?
It is a heavily branched daisy plant with serrated leaves. Its main characteristic is the mass of small yellow daisy flowers which are seen mainly from winter to spring. The flowers are a golden yellow and have 13 petals surrounding the yellow centre.
Each fireweed plant may produce as many as 30,000 seeds as a single yellow flower can produce between 100-150 seeds and there can be as many as 200 flowers per plant.
Why is it a problem?
This plant is poisonous to both horses and donkeys, and other livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats can also suffer from this widespread weed.
What do I do when I find it?
Wearing gloves, pull it out – making sure you get the roots and not just the stem – place it in a plastic bag and put it in the bin. Do not try to compost it.
Even after being removed from the soil, fireweed is still toxic to stock, and if it is flowering, it can still produce viable seed.
Whatever the situation, once established, fireweed is extremely difficult to eradicate.
Therefore, follow-up treatment is essential for control to be successful.
References
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/pests-weeds/weeds/profiles/fireweed