Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Hypoestes phyllostachya Baker

Synonyms

Hypoestes sanguinolenta (Van Houtte) Hook. f.

Family

Acanthaceae

Common Names

flamingo plant, freckle face, freckle plant,  freckleface, measlesplant, polka dot plant, polka-dot plant, polkadot plant, polkadot-plant

Origin

Native to Madagascar.

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised in the coastal districts of eastern Australia (i.e. in coastal southern, central and northern Queensland and in the coastal northern New South Wales). Also naturalised on Norfolk Island and possibly naturalised in the coastal districts of central New South Wales.

Naturalised overseas in Hawaii.

Notes

Polkadot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) is regarded as an environmental weed in parts of Queensland and New South Wales, and as a "sleeper weed" or potential environmental weed in other parts of Australia. It has escaped cultivation as a garden plant and has become naturalised along waterways, in riparian areas, in open woodlands and on rainforest margins in the warmer and wetter parts of eastern Australia. This species prefers shaded habitats and can form dense carpets of vegetation in the understorey of native bushland.

It is currently of greatest concern in south-eastern Queensland, where it is listed among the top 200 most invasive plants species, and appears on numerous local environmental weed lists in this region (e.g. in the Gold Coast City, Redlands Shire, Cooloola Shire, Caboolture Shire and Maroochy Shire).

Polkadot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) has also been recorded from conservation areas in northern New South Wales (e.g. in Coorumbene Nature Reserve and Billinudgel Nature Reserve), and is listed as an environmental weed in the Northern Rivers Catchment and in Bellingen Shire. Though it is not yet formally regarded as being naturalised on the New South Wales Central Coast, it is included in the Gosford City environmental weeds list, is regarded as an undesirable plant species in Hornsby Shire Council, and is listed as a weed in Cooper Park in suburban Sydney.