Biosecurity Spotters logo

Tufted honeyflower (Melianthus comosus)

Tufted honeyflower is an escaped garden ornamental that has become naturalised in parts of Victoria and South Australia. It can reduce pasture productivity and biodiversity, restrict movement, affect stream flow, and is extremely toxic to livestock and people.

Key facts

Type: Weed, shrub.

Native to: Southern Africa.

Established in: VIC, SA.

Other names: Tufted Honey Flower, Honey Bush, Touch-me-not, Don’t Touch Me.

Identification

  • It is an upright, woody, many-branched shrub, usually 1 to 1.5 metres tall and rarely reaching 2.5 metres.
  • Large leaves, up to 20 centimetres long, cluster at branch ends and have 4 to 6 pairs of serrated leaflets along a winged stalk.
  • The leaflets are about 4 to 6 centimetres long and 1 to 2 centimetres wide; leaves smell unpleasant when crushed.
  • Red flowers with four uneven, clawed petals hang in loose clusters at the top of the plant.
  • The fruit is an inflated, four-sided capsule 2.5 to 4 centimetres long, containing up to eight shiny, dark seeds.
  • Look-alike: Cape honeyflower (Melianthus major) is similar and occurs on the central coast of New South Wales; it grows to 3 metres and has much larger, hairless leaves, up to 1 metre long, and dense clusters of red-brown flowers.

Where it grows

In Australia it is naturalised in parts of Victoria and South Australia, particularly in degraded pasture, disturbed areas, watercourses, coastal areas and native bushland.

Why it matters

  • All parts are extremely toxic to livestock and people, and consumption can cause death quickly, although the unpleasant odour deters animals from grazing it.
  • Dense clumps restrict animal movement, reduce pasture production and provide shelter for pests.
  • It can reduce biodiversity in degraded open vegetation, grasslands and open bushland, and can divert stream flow when growing in watercourses.
  • Its flowers attract bees that produce dark honey that may be poisonous.

How it spreads

  • It has mainly spread through its use as a garden ornamental.
  • Its bladder-like seed capsules can be carried long distances by wind or float along watercourses.
  • Spread on contaminated machinery and agricultural produce is possible, but is less important.

Control options

  • Individual plants can be grubbed, taking care to remove most of the root system.
  • Larger clumps can be bulldozed or pulled with a tractor and chain, then ploughed to bring roots to the surface before raking and burning.
  • For cut-and-paint treatment, remove individual plants near ground level and paint the fresh wound with a registered herbicide.
  • Follow up with registered herbicide treatment to address regrowth; soil-residual herbicides have also shown effectiveness.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Seed may be moved on contaminated machinery and agricultural produce, so avoid carrying contaminated material from infested sites.
  • 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: Regionally controlled / restricted weed (varies by region). Where it is regionally controlled, landowners must take all reasonable steps to prevent its growth and spread on their land. Where it is a restricted weed, trade in it (including the plant, its seed or contaminated material) is prohibited.
  • 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: 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: 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.

  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board

Sources