Introduced Flora of Australia and its weed status
‘The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status’ is a publication directed to everyone who wants to ensure that plants chosen for revegetation projects, landscaping and gardens are not likely to become weeds and a threat to (Australian) ecosystems. Every introduced plant species in Australia, past and present, is listed with information on its weed status in Australia and other parts of the world. The information about the weed status of the plants comes from published lists of weeds throughout the world, and in particular the Global Compendium of Weeds (Randall, 2002) is used as a reference.
More than 30 000 plant species present in Australia are listed in this book with indication whether the species is:
- naturalized somewhere in Australia,
- native from Australia but naturalized beyond its native range within Australia,
- a weed, according to published references and indicating the following categories:
- weed of the natural environment,
- escaped from cultivation,
- weed of agriculture,
- regulated noxious weed
- invasive species, which is the most threatening category since it implies serious impacts on environment and/or agriculture.
When a plant species has been listed as a serious weed in several publications and even if it is not yet a problem in Australia, there is a very significant risk that this plant may become a weed if planted widely or close to natural areas. Used wisely and in conjunction with further data, this publication could help to avoid the introduction or spread of weed species which may have economic or environmental impact.
Sources
Randall R (2007)
The introduced Flora of Australia and its weed status. CRC for Australian Weed Management. 524 p. http://www.weeds.crc.org.au/weed_management/intro_flora.html
Randall RP (2002) A global compendium of weeds. Shanon Books, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 905 p. http://www.hear.org/gcw/