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Pond apple (Annona glabra)

A small tree that invades wetlands, melaleuca swamps and mangrove edges in the Wet Tropics, forming dense stands that replace native vegetation.

Key facts

Type: Weed, tree.

Native to: Tropical America and West Africa.

Established in: QLD.

Identification

  • Tree usually 3 to 6 m with leathery, glossy, oval leaves.
  • Cream flowers with a red inner base.
  • Round green fruit up to 15 cm that turns yellow, resembling a custard apple.

Where it grows

Swamps, creeks, drains, mangrove edges and coastal floodplains in north Queensland.

Why it matters

  • Replaces melaleuca and mangrove communities.
  • Affects cassowary and wetland habitat.

How it spreads

  • Floating fruit carried by water and the sea.
  • Animals such as feral pigs and cassowaries eat the fruit.

Control options

  • Basal bark, cut stump or stem injection with registered herbicides.
  • Hand pull seedlings.
  • Systematic follow-up as seeds survive in water and soil.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Collect fallen fruit where practical and keep it out of drains.
  • 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): Weed of National Significance. One of 32 nationally agreed priority weeds, managed through national strategies with all states and territories.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, category 3. Do not give it away, sell or release it into the environment. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Prohibited matter. It is an offence to deal with it, and you must notify NSW DPIRD as soon as you become aware of it.
  • Victoria: Restricted weed. Where it is a restricted weed, trade in it (including the plant, its seed or contaminated material) is prohibited.
  • 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: 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: Declared weed. Property managers are required by law to control declared weeds, and their import and sale are prohibited.
  • Northern Territory: Declared weed, Class A. Class A: to be eradicated. All declared weeds are also Class C, so they must not be brought into the NT.
  • 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)

Sources