Fact Sheet Help

Detailed fact sheets are provided for significant environmental weeds, while brief notes are provided for less important or minor environmental weed species.

Below is a list of the fields included in the more detailed fact sheets, and an explanation of the information that is included in each field.

Scientific Name: This is the full scientific name of the species in italics (i.e. genus and species), followed by the authority (i.e. the author or authors that named and described the species).

Synonyms: The synonyms are listed alphabetically one on each line. Generally only synonyms that have been used in Australia are included here.

Common Names: An alphabetical list of English common names.

Family: The name of the plant family to which the species belongs. If more than one family name is currently used in Australia, then they are all included along with reference to the particular states in which each family name is used.

Origin: This paragraph describes the origin or native distribution of the species. The first sentence usually gives a general indication of which continents and climatic regions it is native to. This is followed by more detailed information if available.

Naturalised Distribution: The first paragraph provides information on the naturalised distribution of this species in Australia (including its island territories). A second paragraph is sometimes included that gives a brief summary of its naturalised distribution in other parts of the world.

Cultivation: This paragraph gives an indication as to whether a species is deliberately cultivated in Australia (in case people are likely to come across it in cultivation). It often also provides brief information about any additional cultivars of the species that may be grown as ornamentals, and how they might be distinguished from the weedy form of the species.

Habitat: If this species is native to some parts of Australia, the first part of this field will outline the habitats in which it grows naturally (i.e. within its native range). Otherwise, this section outlines the habitats it grows in where it is naturalised in Australia. This normally includes the types of plant communities in which it grows (i.e. grasslands, open woodlands, closed forests, etc.) and the climatic regions in which it grows (i.e. tropical, sub-tropical, temperate, etc.). If a species currently has a relatively limited distribution in Australia, further information as to the habitats in which it is known to be weedy in other parts of the world may also be included.

Distinguishing Features: This is a list of about half-a-dozen brief bulleted points which outline the distinguishing features of the species. Usually, one of the points focuses on its habit, another on its stems, and others on its leaves, flowers, and fruit.

Habit: A description of the overall habit of the species – including its normal and maximum height, its form or plant type (i.e. shrub, tree, herb, etc.) and its habit (i.e. whether it is creeping, upright, floating, etc.).

Seedling: A description of the seedling is sometimes provided. It usually includes a description of the seed leaves (i.e. cotyledons) and the first true leaves.

Stems and Leaves: The first paragraph generally describes the stems of the plant. The second paragraph describes the leaves, including information about their arrangement, type, size, margins, hairiness, etc.

Flowers and Fruit: The first paragraph generally describes the flowers and how they are arranged into inflorescences. It often also indicates the time of year when the flowers are likely to be present. The second paragraph generally describes the fruit and seeds.

Reproduction and Dispersal: A description of how this species reproduces (e.g. by seeds, bulbils, stolons, rhizomes, etc.) and how this it is known to be dispersed to new areas – including both long distance and short distance forms of dispersal.

Impacts: This section describes the known impact of the species on natural environments in Australia. If it is not yet present in Australia, or has currently not spread to anyway near its potential distribution, its potential future impacts may also be outlined as well as environmental impacts in other parts of the world.

Other Impacts: A brief outline of any other serious impacts (e.g. economic, health) of this species in Australia, if any.

Similar Species: This section aims to provide information about other species that are commonly confused with, or very similar to, the species in question. It usually provides a list describing the major differences between the current species and those that are similar to it. It is intended to be a guide and usually does not include all possibilities.

It may be particularly useful to distinguish between weed species that cannot be separated by the relatively general characters used in the Lucid key.

Legislation: Any state-based legislation regarding this species, at the time of publication, is included here (i.e. whether it is declared, noxious, proclaimed, etc.).

Management: This section provides a bulleted list of resources for the management of this species, where such information is available. It is primarily a list of links to on-line resources (e.g. CRC Weed Management Guides, fact sheets produced by state departments, etc.). Direct links are usually not provided, as the pages on many of these sites regularly change.

References: A list of the major sources used in the creation of the fact sheet is included here.

Also see the tutorial for more information on using the indentification key.