Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Sigesbeckia orientalis L.

Synonyms

Sigesbeckia orientalis L. subsp. orientalis

Family

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

Common Names

common St. Paul's wort, Indian weed, Indian-weed, Indianweed, nightshade, oriental sigesbeckia, sigesbeckia, small yellow crown-beard, St. Paul's wort, yellow crown-beard, yellow weed

Origin

Native to the Indian sub-continent, south-eastern Asia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia.

In Australia it is generally considered to be native to Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and some parts of South Australia.

Naturalised Distribution

Indian weed (Sigesbeckia orientalis) is sometimes considered to be naturalised in eastern Australia (i.e. in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and some parts of South Australia). However, it is certainly naturalised in many parts of Western Australia and sparingly naturalised in Tasmania. It is possibly also naturalised naturalised on Norfolk Island.

Also naturalised in New Zealand and on several Pacific islands (i.e. Fiji, French Polynesia, Hawaii, New Caledonia and Tonga).

Notes

Indian weed (Sigesbeckia orientalis) is regarded as an environmental weed in Western Australia, and was listed as a moderately important species is the recent Environmental Weed Strategy of Western Australia.

Many regard it to be native to Queensland, however it was recently included among the list of the top 200 most invasive plants in south-eastern Queensland.