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Yellowflower devil's claw (Ibicella lutea)

Yellowflower Devil's Claw can compete strongly with summer crops such as cotton, although it has been reported to have minimal impact on yield. Its hard, clawed fruits can injure livestock and attach to clothing, machinery and vehicles, spreading seeds.

Key facts

Type: Weed, herb.

Native to: Tropical South America and Mexico.

Established in: QLD, NSW, VIC.

Other names: Devil's Grip, Double Claw, Eagle's Claw, Elephant Tusks.

Best time to act: Look for plants during rapid spring and summer growth and treat before flowering; flowering and fruiting occur mostly from February to March.

Identification

  • An erect annual herb, usually 20 to 50 cm high, with stout, branched, hollow stems covered in sticky, glandular hairs.
  • Its rounded, hairy leaves grow in opposite pairs and have heart-shaped bases.
  • Yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers are 5 to 7.5 cm across and spotted with red or purple markings inside.
  • The light-brown fruit is 10 to 25 cm long and becomes hard and woody, splitting into two curved claws.
  • Its black or grey seeds are strongly wrinkled and about 10 mm long and 6 mm wide.
  • Look-alike: Purpleflower Devil's Claw (Proboscidea louisiana) has cream to purple flowers with dark orange and purple throat markings, and larger brown to black fruits.
  • Look-alike: Devil's Claw (Martynia annua) has pink to lavender flowers and much smaller fruits, about 3 to 4 cm long, with claws shorter than the fruit.

Where it grows

In Australia it is widespread and most common in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, and is also recorded in south-eastern South Australia, especially on disturbed roadsides, crops, fallows, pastures and along waterways.

Why it matters

  • The hard, clawed fruits can cause serious injury if caught in livestock mouths or noses, or work into their bodies or feet.
  • It can compete strongly with summer crops such as cotton and is particularly drought tolerant because of its extensive root system, but has minimal impact on yield.
  • It is not known to have a major impact on native flora and fauna, as it usually occurs singly or in small patches on disturbed land; it may have potential to displace other herbs, forbs or grasses.

How it spreads

  • The fruit claws attach readily to passing animals, and sheep are considered a particularly important dispersal vector.
  • Seed transport is the only known dispersal mechanism for this species; the claws can also attach to clothing, machinery and vehicles.
  • Cockatoos eat the seeds, but it is unknown whether this results in seed dispersal.

Control options

  • Remove plants manually by cultivation or hoeing before flowering.
  • The species reproduces by seed and will not resprout from its roots.
  • Use registered herbicides on actively growing seedlings or adult plants before flowering.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Check clothing, machinery and vehicles for the hard, clawed fruits, which attach readily and can disperse 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: Regionally prohibited / regionally controlled / restricted weed (varies by region). Where it is regionally prohibited, landowners must take all reasonable steps to eradicate it on their land. 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.

  • 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
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria

Sources