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Cape ivy (Delairea odorata)

Cape ivy is a serious environmental weed in southern Australia. It smothers and out-competes native vegetation and prevents native plants from regenerating.

Key facts

Type: Weed, vine and creeper.

Native to: Moist mountain forests of South Africa.

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

Other names: German Ivy, Parlor Ivy, Italian Ivy, Ivy Groundsel.

Identification

  • It is a smooth, hairless perennial climber or scrambler, with stems usually up to 5 metres long but sometimes reaching 10 metres.
  • Its thin, mid-green leaves are circular to egg-shaped, 30–80 mm long and wide, with about seven to nine pointed lobes that give them an ivy-like appearance.
  • Dense clusters of small, daisy-like yellow flower heads grow at the ends of stems and branches.
  • After flowering, it produces reddish-brown, one-seeded fruits about 2 mm long, each topped with fine white bristles.
  • Look-alike: Climbing groundsel (Senecio angulatus) has conspicuous yellow ray florets and leaves without pointed basal lobes.
  • Look-alike: English ivy (Hedera hibernica, synonym H. helix) has woody stems, darker leaves and clusters of small greenish flowers.

Where it grows

In Australia, cape ivy is widespread in south-eastern Australia from New South Wales through Victoria to South Australia, with records in Tasmania and two localities in far south-western Western Australia; it occurs in gullies, forests, woodlands, heathlands, coastal scrub, dunes, riparian areas, roadsides and disturbed landscapes.

Why it matters

  • It climbs over shrubs and trees and spreads across ground flora, forming loose mats up to 30 cm thick that prevent native species regenerating.
  • It can kill shrubs and trees, creating light gaps that can lead to further weed invasion.
  • It threatens a range of native vegetation, including coastal dune scrub, heathland, sclerophyll forests, rainforest and vegetation along streams, and associated fauna can be affected by habitat degradation and loss of plant species.
  • It is not known as a weed of crops or pastures, but may occur on field margins and in irrigation canals and drains; it is toxic to stock after long and continuous consumption and can cause liver damage.

How it spreads

  • Its one-seeded fruits are spread by wind, water, animals, clothing and garden waste.
  • Stems that contact the ground can form roots, and broken stem fragments can take root after being moved by machinery, floods, slashing, garden waste, soil or plant removal.

Control options

  • Small infestations can be removed manually, but remove the root system or use the cut-and-paint method with registered herbicides to prevent regrowth.
  • Collect and remove broken and untreated stem pieces from the site, as pieces left in contact with soil can take root.
  • Climbing stems can be severed at the base and left to dry in the canopy, but collect and remove broken stem pieces.
  • Larger infestations commonly need follow-up treatments over the next 1–2 years; mechanical control is not normally used because it can break up stems and spread the plant.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Prevent stem fragments from being moved on machinery, in soil or garden waste, or on clothing.
  • Collect and remove broken stem pieces from the site so they do not take root.
  • 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): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Not a priority weed. Not a state or regional priority weed in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Permitted, not declared. Listed as a permitted organism in WA, so it can be brought in, but it is not a declared pest.
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • 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: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

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