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Mediterranean daisy (Urospermum dalechampii)

Mediterranean daisy is naturalised in Tasmania, where it can form abundant infestations and is assessed as having significant weed potential. It can affect native vegetation, including vulnerable or endangered communities and areas supporting threatened flora.

Key facts

Type: Weed, herb.

Native to: Southern Europe, especially the Mediterranean region.

Established in: TAS.

Other names: Golden fleece.

Best time to act: Flowering occurs from mid to late spring, and seeds mature over summer.

Identification

  • A perennial herb that commonly grows to about 60 cm high.
  • Its grey-green, finely hairy leaves form a rosette, are usually 8–15 cm long, and have lobes and slightly toothed edges.
  • Some leaves grow along the hairy flowering stem.
  • Pale yellow flowers form at stem ends and have dark, blunt tips divided into four or five teeth.
  • Seeds are dark brown, about 4 mm long, and have a feathery pappus; the plant has a thick taproot with many lateral roots.

Where it grows

In Tasmania it grows in natural areas and disturbed sites, often on dry north-west to north-east facing slopes over Jurassic dolerite soils.

Why it matters

  • It has established in at least five Tasmanian vegetation types, including vulnerable Eucalyptus amygdalina forest on sandstone and endangered Themeda native grassland.
  • Themeda grassland in the Tasmanian Midlands supports some of the state’s most threatened flora, and threatened plant species in infested reserves may also be affected.
  • Its perennial growth, ability to reproduce from seed or rootstock, tolerance of drier conditions and rapid growth after disturbance can increase competition with native plants.
  • Control costs in natural areas are likely to be its main economic impact; it may also make some natural areas less useful for recreation or tourism.

How it spreads

  • It reproduces by seed and from rootstock; seeds may be dispersed by wind.
  • Movement of contaminated soil by machinery or vehicles may spread the plant, including root pieces.
  • Fire may promote seed germination and growth from rootstock, although the species does not appear to depend on fire.

Control options

  • Prioritise containment in municipalities where infestations are widespread, using buffers and control along corridors.
  • Eradicate outlying occurrences and occurrences in municipalities where the plant is less widely distributed, subject to survey work.
  • Monitor areas around infestations regularly to detect spread early.
  • Support long-term management with landholder awareness and education.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Use strong hygiene procedures to limit the movement of root pieces in soil transferred out of infested areas.
  • Check and clean machinery and vehicles that have worked in infested areas before they move elsewhere.
  • 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: Not listed. Not found in the Western Australian Organism List. Check with DPIRD before moving or keeping it.
  • Tasmania: Declared weed. Property managers are required by law to control declared weeds, and their import and sale are prohibited.
  • Northern Territory: Not declared. Not on the NT A to Z weed list, and Weeds Australia does not list it as declared in the NT. Check the NT declared weeds list before moving or planting it.
  • 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.

  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania

Sources