OUTBREAKS of the highly invasive Mexican feathergrass across South Australia has prompted calls for community vigilance to stamp out the weed.
Gardeners, primary producers and the general public have been asked to help locate instances of the plant after it was reported in several gardens across the Limestone Coast, Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island Landscape Board regions late last year.
It is currently not known to be established in South Australia, other than detections in gardens which have been promptly removed.
A declared weed under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019, Mexican feathergrass presents a threat to South Australia’s landscape due to its highly invasive, with each plant capable of producing 70,000 to 100,000 seeds a year.
It is a low protein, high fibre grass with no grazing value because it is unpalatable to stock.
If present, it has potential to spread from gardens to agricultural or bush lands, where it could impact primary production and the landscape’s biodiversity.
Property owners have a legal responsibility to report these plants to their regional Landscape Board.
