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Spanish heath (Erica lusitanica)

Spanish heath is highly invasive in southern and south-eastern Australia, where it invades native vegetation, pastures and roadsides. Dense infestations can dominate native shrub layers, prevent native plant regeneration and increase fuel loads.

Key facts

Type: Weed, shrub.

Native to: Iberian Peninsula and south-western France.

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

Other names: Portuguese heath, Heath.

Best time to act: Flowering is generally in spring, while slashing to prevent seed production is best done in autumn or early winter before the main flush of flowers.

Identification

  • It is an erect, usually slender shrub commonly about 1.5 to 2 m tall, though plants can reach 3 m in protected sites.
  • Small, narrow green leaves grow in whorls of three or four at the stem nodes.
  • Small white to pinkish, bell-shaped flowers grow in pairs or clusters and can obscure the upper branches.
  • Young stems have very fine, short, unbranched hairs.
  • The small ellipsoid capsules contain numerous tiny seeds.
  • Look-alike: Native Monotoca, Leucopogon, Epacris and Lissanthe species have leaves arranged alternately along the stems, rather than in whorls of three or four.
  • Look-alike: Tree heath (Erica arborea) has branched hairs on young stems; Spanish heath has simple, unbranched hairs.

Where it grows

In Australia it occurs in southern Victoria and Tasmania, with local populations in South Australia and New South Wales, across habitats including heathland, forest, woodland, riparian areas, pastures, roadsides and disturbed sites.

Why it matters

  • It can dominate the shrub canopy in native habitats and prevent virtually all regeneration of native species.
  • It invades heathlands, grassy woodlands, moist forests and riparian areas, including areas of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
  • Dense stands in roadsides and paddocks can exclude other vegetation and increase fuel loads and fire hazards.

How it spreads

  • A single plant may produce up to 9 million seeds a year; seed viability exceeds 50% and remains so for at least four years.
  • Tiny seeds can move by wind, gravity and water, and be transported on vehicles, machinery, through slashing, or with moved soil.
  • Long-distance spread can result from garden planting, commercial cultivation or inadvertent transport of seed-containing soil.

Control options

  • Hand-pull small plants and seedlings, making sure to remove the main roots.
  • Cut-painting can be effective; peeling or cutting away outer bark on stumps can expose sapwood for treatment with registered herbicides.
  • To prevent seed production, slash plants close to ground level in autumn or early winter, before the main flush of flowers.
  • Treat regrowth with registered herbicides the following year and continue follow-up control for several years; integrated control may be needed.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Check and clean vehicles and machinery after working in infestations, as fine seeds can be transported on them.
  • Avoid moving soil containing seeds to new locations, and take care with roadside maintenance equipment.
  • 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: Regional priority in 1 of 11 regions. Regional priority weed in South East. 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: 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.

  • 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