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Gazania (Gazania spp.)

Gazania has escaped garden plantings and is now a highly invasive weed in Australian roadsides, native vegetation and agricultural land. It can form dense carpets that outcompete native plants and affect biodiversity, particularly in coastal areas.

Key facts

Type: Weed, herb.

Native to: South Africa.

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

Best time to act: Control is most effective while gazania is actively growing with new lush foliage and flowering, mainly in spring and summer; do not spray plants that are visibly under stress.

Identification

  • Gazania is a low-growing perennial herb, averaging about 30 cm tall, that grows in clumps or dense carpets.
  • Its bright flower heads are commonly yellow or orange with dark bases, though cream, pink, red and maroon flowers also occur; heads are about 6 to 12 cm across.
  • Flowers close in low light and at night, and gazania flowers throughout the year, mostly in spring and summer.
  • Leaves are slender, 4 to 10 cm long, with a pointed end and indented central midrib; they can be dark green and glossy or silver-grey and hairy, with a distinctly white or silver underside.

Where it grows

In Australia, gazania occurs in the Hills and Fleurieu region of South Australia, particularly in coastal environments, as well as on roadsides, in native vegetation and on agricultural land.

Why it matters

  • Gazania can outcompete native plants in sand dunes through its high demand for nutrients and moisture.
  • Dense monocultures can exclude other plants and invade native vegetation, affecting biodiversity.
  • It invades cultivated and irrigated agricultural sites, and roadside maintenance can help it spread; it can also develop resistance to herbicide.

How it spreads

  • One flower can produce over 60 seeds, which wind can carry up to 1 km; seeds also germinate beside the parent plant, forming dense groundcover.
  • Seeds can be dispersed on vehicles, by mowing or in floodwaters.
  • Gazania can also spread by rhizomes in some situations, and dumped garden waste containing seeds or plant material can contribute to its spread.

Control options

  • Dig out the entire plant, including its root system; use minimal-disturbance techniques in sensitive environments.
  • Dispose of removed plants in a green waste bin.
  • If a plant cannot be removed, mow or brush-cut off the flower heads before they set seed.
  • For chemical control, follow current South Australian declared-weed guidance and the herbicide label; avoid contact with native plants, and leave spraying in native vegetation to qualified bushcare operators.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Seeds can be carried on vehicles and spread during mowing, so avoid moving contaminated plant material between sites.
  • Do not dump garden waste containing gazania seeds or plant material.
  • 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: 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: Not listed. Not found in the Western Australian Organism List. Check with DPIRD before moving or keeping it.
  • 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
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • 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