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Coral creeper (Barleria repens)

Coral creeper is an introduced environmental weed found in parts of coastal NSW. It can form dense ground cover and thickets that smother and outcompete native plants.

Key facts

Type: Weed, vine and creeper.

Native to: Africa.

Established in: QLD, NSW.

Other names: creeping barleria, red barleria, small bush violet.

Best time to act: Flowers are produced in late summer and autumn, and larger infestations can be spot-sprayed when plants are actively growing.

Identification

  • It is a perennial scrambling herb that usually grows up to 0.7 m tall, or up to 2 m when climbing over taller plants.
  • Its dark green, shiny leaves are oval with pointed tips, prominently veined, and up to 60 mm long and 25 mm wide.
  • The red, salmon or pinkish tubular flowers have five spreading lobes and grow singly or occasionally in groups of two or three.
  • Its club-shaped capsules are 1.5–2 cm long and usually contain four seeds; the round to oval seeds are covered with silky hairs.
  • Young stems are green and sparsely hairy, becoming woody and grooved with age; stems can root where they touch the soil.

Where it grows

In NSW it has been found in coastal parts of the Greater Sydney, Hunter and North Coast regions, including littoral rainforest on coastal dunes, urban bushland, gardens and drains, mostly on sandy soils.

Why it matters

  • It can form very dense ground cover and thickets.
  • It smothers other plants.
  • It can outcompete native plants, especially in the understorey of bushland.

How it spreads

  • When seed capsules split, they eject four seeds that can land several metres away.
  • Seeds can also spread by water, animals, mud and dumped garden waste.
  • Stems can root when they touch the ground, and slashing, mowing and dumping garden waste can spread them.

Control options

  • Contact your local council if you find coral creeper; early detection helps prevent its spread.
  • Pull individual plants by hand or dig them up, making sure to remove all roots.
  • Dispose of all plant parts properly and contact your local council for disposal methods.
  • Larger infestations can be spot-sprayed with registered herbicides when plants are actively growing; use caution near native plants.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Seeds can spread in mud and water, while stems can spread in dumped garden waste.
  • 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: Regional priority in 3 of 11 regions. Regional priority weed in Greater Sydney, Hunter, South East. 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

Sources