16-07-2025
Aussies urged to dig up common invasive plant the become 'very difficult to remove'
Conservationists are sounding the alarm over a notorious weed polluting Australia's fragile ecosystems, warning that despite its popularity as a houseplant, it's actually a "serious environmental threat".
This week, the Cassowary Coast Regional Council, in Far North Queensland, warned that mother-in-law's tongue continues to "invade" the area's rainforests, creek lines and coastal reserves. It reminded the public that it must not be "introduced, propagated or allowed to spread" within the region, due to its highly invasive nature, having been introduced to the country from South Africa decades ago.
"It forms dense mats that smother native groundcovers and prevent natural regeneration," the council said online, adding that it had been declared a pest locally since 2022. "It thrives in disturbed areas, spreads through underground rhizomes (horizontal plant stems, like a hidden network of roots) and discarded garden waste.
"It is very difficult to remove once established."
Imogen Ebsworth, the Invasive Species Council Engagement Director, is all too familiar with the pest. Talking to Yahoo, she said the weed is "frustratingly" just another "example of a garden plant that's become highly invasive" and "yet is still legally sold".
"We don't let pet shops sell cane toads, so why are we allowing nurseries to sell invasive plants? It fails the common-sense test," she said. "Queensland local councils are on the front line of tackling new invasive garden plants like mother-in-law's tongue, and say it's primarily being spread by the dumping of garden waste."
Though people may think they've minimised the risk by ripping it up, Imogen said the weed can still propagate itself — so to fully stop its impact, it must be disposed of responsibly.
"Carefully dig up as much of the roots as you can and collect up all fragments," she said. "Dispose of it in your general waste bin securely bagged up."
Importantly, Imogen added, do not put it into green waste bins. "We are calling on Australia's governments to prioritise action on stronger national coordinated regulation to prevent garden plants from being sold and escaping into the bush," she said.
"We've seen this story unfold far too many times. Ornamental plants that turn into unstoppable weeds, costing us billions in control efforts and wiping out native species in the process."
In Australia, escaped garden plants are the primary source of new weeds, and a staggering three-quarters of all listed weeds started out as ornamentals.
Some of the nation's most popular nurseries and retailers stock mother-in-law's tongue, including heavyweights like Ikea, Bunnings, Flower Power, Woolworths and countless boutique florists. But, they're doing so entirely in accordance with the law.
Imogen said this is not a "rogue nursery or Bunnings" problem — it's a regulatory failure.
"To date, self-regulation has failed," she said. "We are relying on everyday Australians to either have a botany degree or realise they need to research legally sold plants to find out if they are a weed. That's a system designed to fail.
"More than 30,000 plant species have been imported into Australia for gardening, but fewer than a quarter have been assessed nationally for their weed risk. Some of our worst invasives — like lantana and blackberry — were once common garden plants.
"We've spent decades relying mainly on self-regulation, which just doesn't work. You can still legally buy plants that are banned in neighbouring states or overseas."
Unless governments act, Imogen warned, we'll keep selling the next lantana, the next gazania, "straight into our backyards and bushland".
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Last year, former environment minister Tanya Plibersek secured national agreement to develop a Threat Abatement Plan (TAP) to tackle invasive garden plants. Now stepping into the role, Murray Watt has a "golden opportunity to show real leadership" to get on with the job and fix this broken system, she said.
Cam Rist, Bunnings Director of Merchandise, previously told Yahoo the retailer closely follows all "relevant local biosecurity regulations" and "the advice of regulators about the plants we sell."
"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," he said.
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