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Harrisia cactus (Harrisia spp.)

A spiny, sprawling cactus that invades brigalow and woodland country in southern and central Queensland. Underground tubers resprout after damage.

Key facts

Type: Weed, cactus and succulent.

Native to: South America.

Established in: QLD, NSW.

Other names: Moonlight cactus.

Identification

  • Sprawling, ribbed cylindrical stems with clusters of sharp spines.
  • Large white flowers that open at night.
  • Red, spiny fruit and underground tubers.

Where it grows

Brigalow, belah and open woodland on heavy soils, and pasture.

Why it matters

  • Reduces pasture and restricts access.
  • Spines injure stock.

How it spreads

  • Birds and feral animals eat the fruit.
  • Stem pieces moved by machinery.

Control options

  • Registered herbicides on stems.
  • A mealybug biological control agent is established.
  • Avoid cultivation, which spreads tubers and stems.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Check machinery for stem segments after working in infested country.
  • 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: Restricted matter, category 3 (most species prohibited). Harrisia martinii, H. tortuosa and H. regelii are category 3 restricted matter: do not give them away, sell or release them. All other Harrisia species are prohibited matter. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Regional priority in 6 of 11 regions. Regional priority weed in Central Tablelands, Central West, Hunter, North West, Northern Tablelands, Western. 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: Declared pest (C1), some species 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. Some species 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: 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