Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Cakile edentula (Bigelow) Hook.

Synonyms

Bunias edentula Bigelow
Cakile californica A. Heller
Cakile edentula (Bigelow) Hook. subsp. edentula
Cakile edentula (Bigelow) Hook. var. edentula
Cakile edentula (Bigelow) Hook. subsp. californica (A.Heller) Hulten
Cakile lanceolata (Willd.) O.E. Schulz var. australiensis Thell.
Cakile maritima Scop. (misapplied)

Family

Brassicaceae (Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)
Cruciferae (South Australia)

Common Names

American sea rocket, American sea-rocket, American searocket, sea rocket

Origin

Native to North America (i.e. eastern Canada and eastern USA).

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised in the coastal districts of eastern and southern Australia. From central and southern Queensland, through New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia to south-eastern parts of Western Australia. Also naturalised along the coasts of Tasmania and on Lord Howe Island.

Notes

American sea rocket (Cakile edentula) is a common weed of coastal environs (i.e. in foredunes, along seashores and on offshore islands). It is regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland.

This species also hybridises with European sea rocket (Cakile maritima subsp. maritima) and intermediates between the two plants are common or dominant in some areas.