Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Reichardia tingitana (L.) Roth

Family

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

Common Names

false sow-thistle, false sowthistle, reichardia

Origin

Native to the Mediterranean region and western Asia.

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised in southern Australia (i.e. in western New South Wales, western and southern Victoria, many parts of South Australia and the western parts of Western Australia). Also occasionally naturalised in other parts of Western Australia.

Notes

False sowthistle (Reichardia tingitana) is regarded as a minor environmental weed in Western Australia, where it grows on river flats and in coastal dunes as well as in disturbed sites (i.e. near habitation and along roadsides). It is mainly found from Shark Bay to Jurien, and is particularly common around Geraldton.

This species is also weedy in similar situations in South Australia (i.e. on alluvial river flats and coastal dunes) and has been recorded in numerous conservation areas in this state (i.e. in Marino Conservation Park, Onkaparinga River Recreation Park, Coffin Bay National Park, Coorong National Park, Seal Bay Conservation Park and Semaphore Park Coastal Reserve).

False sowthistle (Reichardia tingitana) is also a common weed in semi-arid woodlands and samphire shrublands in Victoria and grows on sandy soils and sandy red earths in western New South Wales. It is present in conservation areas in these states too (i.e. Barkindji Biosphere Reserve in north-western Victoria and Kinchega National Park in south-western New South Wales).