Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Amaranthus albus L.

Synonyms

Amaranthus albus L. var. pubescens (Uline & Bray) Fern.
Amaranthus graecizans L. (misapplied)
Amaranthus graecizans L. var. pubescens Uline & Bray
Amaranthus pubescens (Uline & Bray) Rydb.

Family

Amaranthaceae

Common Names

American tumbleweed, prostrate amaranth, prostrate pigweed, rolypoly, stiff tumbleweed, tumble pigweed, tumble weed, tumbling pigweed, tumbleweed, white amaranth, white pigweed

Origin

Native to large parts of North America (i.e. Alaska, Canada and the USA), but its exact native range is obscure.

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised in the temperate regions of southern Australia. It is found throughout Victoria, in the ACT, in many parts of South Australia and in south-western Western Australia. It is also present in many parts of New South Wales, particularly in the southern tablelands and slopes regions, and has occasionally been recorded in Tasmania.

Notes

Tumbleweed (Amaranthus albus) is mainly a weed of agricultural areas and habitation. It is a serious weed of agriculture in southern New South Wales, and is typically a pest of crops, roadsides and waste areas in this region. However, it is also regarded as an environmental weed in Western Australia and Tasmania and grows in natural areas in other states too.

In Tasmania, tumbleweed (Amaranthus albus) is found mostly in association with railway lines. It has been recorded between Forest and Stanley in the north-west, at Bridgewater and in the Derwent Valley in the south, and at Deloraine in the north of the state. It is also said to be adversely impacting on biodiversity values in Tasmania and known populations are subject to eradication. Tumbleweed (Amaranthus albus ) has also been recorded in conservation areas in Victoria (i.e. Barkindji Biosphere Reserve, Organ Pipes National Park and Yarra Bend Park) and South Australia (i.e. Marino Conservation Park and Onkaparinga River National Park).