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Bitou bush and boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera)

Two subspecies of the same shrub. Bitou bush invades coastal dunes and headlands in New South Wales and southern Queensland, while boneseed invades bushland further south.

Key facts

Type: Weed, shrub.

Native to: South Africa.

Established in: QLD, NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, WA.

Identification

  • Bitou bush is a sprawling shrub to 2 m; boneseed is more upright, to 3 m.
  • Fleshy, slightly toothed leaves with woolly new growth.
  • Bright yellow daisy flowers followed by round black berries containing a bone-coloured seed.

Where it grows

Coastal dunes and headlands (bitou bush) and dry sclerophyll woodland and coastal heath (boneseed).

Why it matters

  • Displaces native dune plants and threatened species.
  • Reduces habitat for shorebirds and other fauna.

How it spreads

  • Berries eaten by birds and foxes.
  • Planted for dune stabilisation in the past.

Control options

  • Hand pull seedlings and small plants.
  • Registered herbicides applied by foliar spraying, including low-dose aerial programs on large coastal infestations.
  • Follow-up after fire, which triggers mass germination.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Clean footwear and vehicles after working on infested dunes and reserves.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): Weed of National Significance. One of 32 nationally agreed priority weeds, managed through national strategies with all states and territories.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, categories 2, 3, 4, 5. Report it to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours; do not give it away, sell or release it into the environment; do not move it; do not keep it. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Control order; Biosecurity zone; Sale prohibited; Regional priority in 2 of 11 regions. A state control order applies, so follow its eradication and reporting requirements. A biosecurity zone applies in parts of NSW, with mandatory control inside the zone. It must not be imported into NSW or sold anywhere in the state. Regional priority weed in Hunter, North Coast. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Regionally controlled / regionally prohibited weed (varies by region). Where it is regionally prohibited, landowners must take all reasonable steps to eradicate it on their land. Where it is regionally controlled, landowners must take all reasonable steps to prevent its growth and spread on their land.
  • South Australia: Declared plant. Depending on the declaration, it can be an offence to move it on public roads or sell it, and landowners may be required to control it on their land.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C1), prohibited. C1 Exclusion: to be kept out of WA, or out of the parts of WA where it is not established. Report any sighting to DPIRD. It must not be brought into WA (prohibited organism).
  • Tasmania: Declared weed. Property managers are required by law to control declared weeds, and their import and sale are prohibited.
  • Northern Territory: Check NT list. There is no NT weed profile for it. Check the NT declared weeds list for its current status.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Declared pest, prohibited. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT. Dealing with it, such as selling, moving or keeping it, is prohibited.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources