New research has revealed that a garden flower is far more destructive than originally thought, with calls to ban the popular plant.
The Invasive Species Council has issued a warning that gazanias, a brightly coloured daisy native to South Africa still being sold in Australian nurseries, poses a bigger threat to native landscapes and farms than previously understood as new research shows it has the potential to spread much further and more destructively than previously realised.
“Gazanias are the perfect example of an escaped invasive garden plant that needs to be banned from sale,” Invasive Special Council Advocacy Manager, Imogen Ebsworth said.
A new La Trobe University study has found gazania seeds are capable of thriving in almost any Australian environment.
The study tested gazania seeds collected from across southern Australia and found they could germinate under extreme heat, cold, drought, salinity and even deep burial.
Ebsworth and the Invasive Species Council are calling on governments and the nursery industry across Australia to ban the plant.
“They are already banned in South Australia but it’s clear we need them pulled nationally. I urge the nursery industry to act on this new evidence and stop selling it,” Ebsworth said.
“We are calling on Australia’s governments to prioritise action on stronger national coordinated regulation to prevent garden plants from being sold and escaping into the bush.”
First imported to Australia in the 1950s and 1970s as a low-maintenance garden plant, gazanias have spread through garden waste, lawn clippings and seed dispersal.
“Escaped garden plants are the primary source of new weeds in Australia. An incredible three-quarters of all listed weeds started out as ornamentals. That’s not a Bunnings problem or a rogue nursery problem – it’s a regulatory failure,” Ebsworth said.
“To date, self-regulation has failed. We are relying on everyday Australians to either have a botany degree or realise they need to research legally sold plants to find out if they are a weed.
“That’s a system designed to fail.”
Weeds have been estimated to cost Australia over $5 billion a year in agricultural and environmental damage.
“Currently, more than 30,000 plant species have been imported into Australia for gardening, but fewer than a quarter have been assessed nationally for their weed risk,” Ebsworth said.
“Some of our worst invasives – like lantana and blackberry – were once common garden plants.
“We’ve spent decades relying mainly on self-regulation, which just doesn’t work. You can still legally buy plants that are banned in neighbouring states or overseas.
“Unless governments act, we’ll keep selling the next lantana, the next gazania, straight into our backyards and bushland.”
Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.