By ANDY WILSON
The control of a weed known to take over native land and pasture is the target of a joint effort by Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority and Mitchell Shire Council which began on Monday 14 July.
Bulbil watsonia (Watsonia meriana cv bulbillifera), also known as the bugle lily, is an environmental weed that spreads from underground corm (bulb) division and dispersal of 'bulbils', small vegetative bulbs that grow in place of seed pods.
One watsonia plant can produce up to 100 bulbils which allows the weed to spread quickly and grow in dense clumps.
The control project is targeting Hughes Creek at Tarcombe where flood events have provided favourable conditions for plant dispersal and increased competition with native vegetation.
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The project is targeting watsonia in the early growth stage in winter and spring, when the species is more susceptible to control.
The species is identifiable by its orange trumpet-shaped flowers that are replaced with bunches of bulbils on the stem.
A closely related garden watsonia has pink, red, or white flowers and is not invasive.
Bulbil watsonia can be controlled by digging out the underground corm entirely during winter.
This work is part of flood recovery funded by the Victorian Government and Mitchell Shire’s Roadside Weeds and Pest Program.
