Fireweed – Weed Alert

A timely and important reminder, care of ‘Noel Burdette Growing Gardeners’.

Pretty but Poisonous. Don’t be fooled by the bright display of sunshine yellow daisies . This is Fireweed ( Senecio madagascariensis) and is a classified class 2 weed in all parts of SE Qld . Its in flower right now along roadsides, paddocks , wasteland and in some cases I’ve seen, private gardens! . Although harmless to look at and yes, it does attract beneficial insects ,is highly toxic to all livestock and animals that ingest it .It can cause major health risks mainly to cattle and horses and can lead to weight loss, loss of milk production , loss of appetite , jaundice , sensitivity to sunlight and chronic liver sclerosis . It has been revelling in the dry conditions over the past couple of months and although you may only notice one , or two plants ..it slowly spreads to colonise vast areas making grazing land inhospitable. Control should be taken while the plants are young by physical removal and bagged( do not add to compost heaps) or herbicide control.( remove and bag flower heads first as they can continue to set viable seed even though a weed killer has been applied) . By law, every land owner who has this on their property must take steps in its control. For further information look here …..https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/…/00…/67167/IPA-Fireweed-PP31.pdf