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Tipuana (Tipuana tipu)

Rosewood is a fast-growing ornamental tree that has naturalised in parts of New South Wales. It can outcompete native plants, add fuel to the landscape and damage infrastructure with its roots.

Key facts

Type: Weed, tree.

Native to: Southern Bolivia, northern Argentina, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Established in: QLD, NSW, WA.

Other names: Tipu tree.

Best time to act: Flowers are mostly present in summer, making that a useful time for identification; remove or treat plants before winged fruits disperse.

Identification

  • A deciduous tree that can grow up to 15 m tall, with a single trunk and a broad, distinct canopy.
  • Leaves have 9 to 29 oval or oblong leaflets, usually notched at the tip and arranged in alternate pairs with one leaflet at the end.
  • Bright yellow or orange, pea-like flowers with reddish markings grow in clusters in the leaf forks, mostly in summer.
  • The distinctive winged fruit has a swollen base containing one to three seeds and can grow up to 7 cm long; it ripens from green to light brown.
  • The trunk has rough, deeply grooved bark, and young branches often droop.
  • Look-alike: When not in flower, rosewood can resemble black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia); black locust has white flowers and long, thin fruits.

Where it grows

In New South Wales, rosewood has naturalised in the northeast of the North Coast region, including disturbed sites such as roadsides and creekbanks, woodlands and open grasslands where grazing is absent.

Why it matters

  • It outcompetes native plants.
  • It can increase fuel loads and change fire regimes.
  • In urban areas, its extensive, often surface-level roots can block drains and lift concrete and bitumen.

How it spreads

  • Planting by householders and pastoralists is described as the single greatest reason for its spread.
  • A plant can produce up to 10,000 seeds, which disperse by wind and, near waterways, by water; the winged fruits can travel away from the parent tree.
  • Seedlings grow quickly, reaching up to 4 m in their first two years, and rosewood does not spread vegetatively.

Control options

  • Remove seedlings by hand where practical, taking care to remove them before they establish or produce seed.
  • For established trees, use an appropriate method such as basal barking, cut stump or stem injection, with a herbicide permitted for the intended use and applied strictly according to its label and any permit.
  • Follow up after initial control by checking for regrowth and new seedlings and treating or removing them.
  • Contact the local council weeds officer for identification advice and guidance on any local reporting requirements.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Clean vehicles, machinery, boots and equipment after working around rosewood, and avoid carrying potentially seed-contaminated soil or plant material to clean sites.
  • Contain and dispose of fruit-bearing branches and other plant material so seeds are not spread by wind or water.
  • 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): National Environmental Alert List. One of 28 weeds named on the National Environmental Alert List as early-stage invaders with serious potential to harm the environment.
  • 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: Permitted, not declared. Listed as a permitted organism in WA, so it can be brought in, but it is not a declared pest.
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • 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
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources