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Orange firethorn (Pyracantha angustifolia)

Orange Firethorn forms dense, thorny thickets that can displace native plants and alter bushland composition. Its sharp thorns can injure people and animals, and it may host bacterial fire blight, a serious pest of apples and pears.

Key facts

Type: Weed, shrub.

Native to: South-western China.

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

Other names: Narrow-leaf Firethorn, Yellow Pyracantha, Orange Pyracantha, Yellow Firethorn.

Best time to act: Look for flowers in spring and early summer, and treat larger plants in spring or summer before fruit develops.

Identification

  • An evergreen, upright or arching thorny shrub or small tree, usually 2–4 m tall and occasionally reaching 5 m.
  • Older stems develop rigid spines; its narrow leaves are usually 1.5–5 cm long and have smooth edges.
  • The upper leaf surfaces are dark green, while the undersides are densely covered with short, white to grey woolly hairs.
  • Clusters of small white flowers appear in spring and early summer.
  • Rounded, flattened yellow-orange to orange-red fruits are about 4–6 mm across and may be downy when young.
  • Look-alike: Scarlet Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) has broader, finely toothed leaves with hairless or slightly hairy undersides and bright red, usually hairless fruit; Orange Firethorn has narrow, smooth-edged leaves with densely woolly undersides and yellow to deep orange fruit.
  • Look-alike: Cotoneasters lack the spines on the stems, while Hawthorns have deeply lobed leaves.

Where it grows

In Australia it is scattered, especially near rural towns and urban centres, and occurs in grassland, grassy woodland, sclerophyll forest, river banks and pine plantations.

Why it matters

  • Dense thickets shade out native species and restrict movement of people and animals.
  • It can alter seed-bank composition and impede regeneration of native overstorey plants.
  • It does not invade crops or pastures, but may host bacterial fire blight, a serious pest of apples and pears.
  • Its sharp thorns can injure people and other animals.

How it spreads

  • Birds commonly disperse seeds after eating the fruit.
  • Seeds can also spread in flowing water, via animals such as foxes and other small mammals, and in dumped garden waste.

Control options

  • Hand-pull or dig out smaller plants, then mulch the area to help prevent regrowth from seed.
  • Control larger areas to reduce reseeding by birds, and replant bare areas with dense ground cover to minimise seedling growth.
  • For larger plants, use approved drill-and-fill or cut-and-swab methods; plants under 2 m tall can be treated with selective or non-selective registered herbicides.
  • Apply chemical treatments in spring or summer before fruit develops; burning will not kill the plants because they normally resprout.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Dispose of garden waste responsibly, as dumped garden waste can spread seeds.
  • 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: Declared pest (C1), 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. It must not be brought into WA (prohibited organism).
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • 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: Declared pest, prohibited. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT. Dealing with it, such as selling, moving or keeping it, is prohibited.

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

Sources