Urgent warning to Bunnings shoppers over popular product sold in stores
Scientists have raised the alarm over a popular plant sold in hardware stores across Australia which could cause billions of dollars in environmental damage.
The Gazania flower, an ornamental plant originally introduced to Australia between the 1950s and 1970s, is now considered highly invasive.
The species poses a major threat to local ecosystems and the economy with warnings it could cost the agricultural sector up to $5billion a year.
The once-decorative flower has since spread across vast areas, including grasslands, sand dunes, stream banks, roadsides, wastelands, and farmland in Western and Southern Australia.
It is particularly problematic in grain crop fields in low-rainfall regions of South Australia, where farmers are struggling to control it using standard herbicides.
Gazania plants and seeds are widely available for purchase across Australia, including at major retailers like Bunnings, Amazon, and online garden stores.
'There are major concerns that Gazania is killing productive land with crops unable to compete against such a vigorous weed,' researchers from LaTrobe University said.
Muhammad Adnan, a PhD student at the La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food (LISAF), led a study on the weed's resilience.
Thousands of seeds were collected from across Australia to test how they responded to different environmental conditions.
The research found the seeds could survive and germinate under a wide range of stress factors, including light and temperature extremes, salinity, moisture, and varied burial depths.
'It suggests they could become a problematic weed year-round in many parts of Australia, potentially leading to high infestation levels,' Mr Adnan said.
The Invasive Species Council has called for a nationwide ban on the sale of Gazania.
'Gazanias are not only overrunning native grasslands, coastlines and roadsides, they are moving into grain production areas, choking out crops and costing farmers,' Invasive Species Council Advocacy Manager Imogen Ebsworth said.
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Bunnings said its sale of the flower complies with all relevant regulations.
'Like many nurseries and retailers, we sell a wide range of locally-sourced plants across our stores and we work hard to create an assortment that caters to customer preferences and demand,' a spokesperson said.
'As always, we closely follow all relevant local biosecurity regulations and the advice of regulators about the plants we sell.'
The Victorian Government has officially listed Gazania as a highly invasive species, and South Australia banned the plant altogether in March 2021.
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Urgent warning to Bunnings shoppers over popular product sold in stores
Scientists have raised the alarm over a popular plant sold in hardware stores across Australia which could cause billions of dollars in environmental damage. The Gazania flower, an ornamental plant originally introduced to Australia between the 1950s and 1970s, is now considered highly invasive. The species poses a major threat to local ecosystems and the economy with warnings it could cost the agricultural sector up to $5billion a year. The once-decorative flower has since spread across vast areas, including grasslands, sand dunes, stream banks, roadsides, wastelands, and farmland in Western and Southern Australia. It is particularly problematic in grain crop fields in low-rainfall regions of South Australia, where farmers are struggling to control it using standard herbicides. Gazania plants and seeds are widely available for purchase across Australia, including at major retailers like Bunnings, Amazon, and online garden stores. 'There are major concerns that Gazania is killing productive land with crops unable to compete against such a vigorous weed,' researchers from LaTrobe University said. Muhammad Adnan, a PhD student at the La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food (LISAF), led a study on the weed's resilience. Thousands of seeds were collected from across Australia to test how they responded to different environmental conditions. The research found the seeds could survive and germinate under a wide range of stress factors, including light and temperature extremes, salinity, moisture, and varied burial depths. 'It suggests they could become a problematic weed year-round in many parts of Australia, potentially leading to high infestation levels,' Mr Adnan said. The Invasive Species Council has called for a nationwide ban on the sale of Gazania. 'Gazanias are not only overrunning native grasslands, coastlines and roadsides, they are moving into grain production areas, choking out crops and costing farmers,' Invasive Species Council Advocacy Manager Imogen Ebsworth said. In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Bunnings said its sale of the flower complies with all relevant regulations. 'Like many nurseries and retailers, we sell a wide range of locally-sourced plants across our stores and we work hard to create an assortment that caters to customer preferences and demand,' a spokesperson said. 'As always, we closely follow all relevant local biosecurity regulations and the advice of regulators about the plants we sell.' The Victorian Government has officially listed Gazania as a highly invasive species, and South Australia banned the plant altogether in March 2021.
