Narrow lance shaped

1. Red-head cotton bush

Asclepias curassavica

    

A perennial with erect, rigid stems, green at the base and pur­plish near the top, growing to 1.5 m high. The plant has milky sap. Leaves are dark green, opposite, mostly near the top of the stems, 7 to 10 cm long and about 12 mm wide and tapering at both ends. Flowers are in bunches at the tops of the stems and are bright red with brilliant yellow centres. The seed pods, which are 7 cm long and about 12 mm in diameter, burst open when ripe releasing the seeds which are very light and furnished with tufts of long, white, silky hairs.

Red-head Cotton Bush is found in all districts usually in grass paddocks, along fencelines and in uncultivated areas. It is poi­sonous to stock but not often eaten. 
 

2. Bushy starwort

Aster subulatus

  

An erect annual or perennial herb with stiff slender stems, growing to 2 m high. It has no conspicuous hairs and is much branched in the upper parts at flowering.

The leaves are alternate, narrow, tapering at both ends and half clasping the stems. They have a peculiar pattern of veins. The basal leaves are 2 to 12 cm long and up to 15 mm wide tapering to a long leaf stalk. They become progressively smaller up the stems and the upper leaves are stalkless. Flower heads are numerous, green, narrow-cylindrical and 5 to 7 mm long. They have several rows of fine green, often purple-tipped, bracts and many very small white to pale coloured petals carried on spreading branches with very fine, small leaves. Seeds are small, brown with a tuft of fine, pale hairs.

 

3. Shepherd's purse

Capsella bursa-pastoris

  

 An erect annual herb that grows up to 40 cm high after first forming a rosette of leaves. The lower leaves are stalked and vary from deeply lobed to unlobed. They are up to 15 cm long and 3 cm wide. Upper leaves are also variable in shape with their bases clasping the stalk. All leaves are hairy, sometimes with simple hairs and sometimes with star-shaped or branched hairs. Flowers are white, about 3 cm across and carried at the ends of the branches. Petals are 2 to 3 mm long with a short stalk. Pods are characteristically heart-shaped, with a notch at the top, 6 to 9 mm long and carried on spreading stalks up to 2 cm long.

Shepherd's Purse is widespread in central and southern Queensland and NSW and is found on headlands, roadsides and banks.
   

4. Wondering jew

Commelina spp.

    

Succulent, climbing and sprawling annuals that are soft and hairy. Leaves are thin, alternate, lance-shaped and up to about 9 cm long and 3 cm wide. They taper to a blunt point as well as tapering at the base into a short, narrow leaf stalk. Flowers have 3 fragile, purple, blue or white clawed petals about 1 cm long. They are carried in oblique, funnel shaped pouches. Seeds are small and wrinkled.


Wandering Jews are widespread and are common in some districts. Illustrated is Scurvy Weed (Commelina cyanea).

 
   

5. Fleabanes

Conyza spp.

    

Annual herbs growing to about 2 m tall but often much less. In the early growth stage they form a rosette of lance-shaped, usually coarsely-toothed leaves. The soft, flabby, green leaves are up to 15 cm long and 3 cm wide. The central stems are much-branched near the top of the plant to form a pyramid shaped in-florescence. The flower heads are pale green, about 5 mm long and when mature form fluffy, pale coloured hemispheres 5 to 10 mm across. Seeds are small, with a parachute of fine hairs.

Fleabanes are found in all areas on disturbed sites including fallow land and headlands.

  
   

6. Yellow rattlepod

Crotalaria mitchellii

    

A perennial with a thick rootstock, growing to 1 m. Leaf stalks short carrying a single leaf. Leaves are elliptical but vary in shape, are up to 10 cm long and 5 cm broad but often smaller. Flower stalks grow from the leaf joints and are about 20 cm long with bright yellow pea-shaped flowers. Pods are hairless, turn from green to dark brown when mature and rattle when shaken.

Yellow Rattlepod is widespread but uncommon. It favours sandy and light-textured soils and is occasionally a weed of coastal cane fields.

 
   

7. White eclipta

Eclipta prostrata

    

A semi-erect or prostrate, woody-based herb that grows to about 60 cm tall. Leaves are opposite, rough and have short, stiff white hairs. They are lance-shaped, tapered at both ends and up to 6 cm long and 1 cm wide, with well-spaced, shallow serrations. Flower heads are about 1 cm across with small, white rays and white centres. Two flowers are located together in the upper leaf joints with each on a stalk about 3 cm long.

White Eclipta is widespread throughout all districts and found on the margins of cane fields and in other disturbed areas. It favours damp situations.

 
   

8. Wombat berry

Eustrephus latifolius

    

A native, shrubby, climber with stems growing to 5 m in length but usually seen on cane field headlands as a tangled plant less than 1 m high. Leaves are long and narrow, about 10 cm by 2 cm, with pointed tips. Flower stalks are clustered in the leaf joints. Flowers are 1.5 cm across and pale pink to mauve fading to white. Seed pods (berries) are spherical and orange-yellow when ripe.

Wombat Berry is widespread and common in light forest throughout eastern Australia. It is usually found in cane fields on newly cleared land. It does not appear to tolerate cultivation and is normally seen on headlands.

 
   

9. Balloon cotton bush

Gomphocarpus physocarpus

    

A slender, erect perennial with milky sap usually growing to 1 to 2 m high. Leaves are opposite, narrow, mostly 5 to 12 cm long and tapered at both ends. Flowers are white or cream coloured and found in clusters in the forks of the upper leaves. Seed pods are bladder-like and covered with long, soft bristles. Seeds are numerous, each bearing a tuft of white hair at the top.

Balloon Cotton Bush is found in all districts where it is a minor pest of pastures, wastelands and headlands. It is poisonous to stock but rarely eaten.

 
   

10. White flatweed

Hypochoeris microcephalus

    

A perennial with a fleshy taproot. The leaves at the base form a rosette, are club-shaped tapering to the base and are usually deeply lobed. The stem leaves are few but similar in shape and get smaller towards the top of the plant. Flowers are borne on the ends of the stems, are small, disc-like and have white petals.

White Flatweed is widespread and common in southern Queens-land and NSW. It is often found in lawns as well as the headlands of cane fields and on roadsides.

 
   

11. Leucas

Leucas lavandulifolia

    

An erect perennial with square stems, growing to 1 m but usually to about 0.5 m. Leaves are narrow, lance-shaped, opposite, 5 to 10 cm long and about 1 cm broad with a few shallow indentations on the margins. Flowers are white, about 2 cm long and in tight clusters in the upper leaf forks. The upper lip of the flower is furry outside. Fruit consist of four smooth angular nutlets.

Leucas is widespread and is common in some districts. It is found on headlands, waste ground, roadsides and occasionally as a weed in cane fields.

 
   

12. Willow primrose

Ludwigia octovalvis

    

An erect herb growing to 1 m. It has hairy, narrow, lance-shaped leaves, pointed at both ends, which are about 5 cm long and 12 mm wide. Flowers are bell-shaped with four yellow petals and are about 15 mm in diameter. The seed pods which extend from the leaf joints, are square, about 5 cm long and filled with small seeds.

Willow Primrose is widespread and common in wet situations, typically on drain banks and poorly drained areas in cane fields.

 
   

13. Onion weed

Nothoscordum inodorum

    

An erect herb with an underground bulb. Leaves arise from the base of the plant and are flat, long and narrow. Flowers are white, tinged with pink and carried on short stalks in groups at the end of the stem.

Onion Weed is widespread but uncommon. It is occasionally found on the headlands of cane fields but more often as a weed of turf and gardens.

 
   

14. Smartweed

Polygonum lapathifolium

    

Grows usually to more than 1 m. Flowers are in dense spikes at the ends of the stems.

See Smartweeds below for more information.

  
   

15. Smartweeds

Polygonum spp.

    

Mostly erect, usually hairy, broad leafed perennial plants. Stems are swollen at the joints where they are encircled by the expanded, cylindrical, papery bases of the leaf sheaths. Leaves are alternate, usually hairy and harsh to touch. They are lance-shaped, tapering at both ends and are often paler beneath. Leaves vary considerably in size in the different species. Flowers are pink or white and in spikes at the end of the stems.

Smartweeds are found in all districts growing in wet areas on the margins of freshwater drains and swamps. Some species grow, and compete with cane, in poorly drained fields. Nearly all contain an irritant oil giving them a peculiar smell and causing irritation when the leaves are rubbed on the skin. Illustrated is Polygonum orientalis.

   
   

16. Poison pratia

Pratia concolor

    

A prostrate, sometimes erect, perennial, usually about 15 cm high. It has fleshy underground runners and zigzag stems with milky sap. Leaves are alternate, dark green above and pale green beneath. They are lance-shaped, 1 to 5 cm long and up to 1.5 cm wide, rounded at the base, pointed at the tip and have toothed edges. Flowers are white, tinged with lavender on the outside, about 6 mm across and carried on short stalks in the leaf joints. Male and female flowers are on different plants.

Poison Pratia is widespread but relatively uncommon. It grows in damp conditions on headlands and roadsides. New plants grow from broken pieces of the underground runners making control by cultivation difficult.

   
   

17. Swamp dock

Rumex brownii

    

A perennial with a thick, underground root system and growing to about 1 m. It has a rosette of dark green, somewhat succulent, leaves which are wavy and finely serrated on the margins. They are blunt at the tip and arrow-shaped at the base, about 20 cm long and 4 cm wide and carried on long leaf stalks. Flower stems are erect, 30 to 60 cm high, arising from the centre of the rosette. They have pointed, arrow-shaped leaves on long leaf stalks which are expanded at the base and clasp the stem. Flowers are small and carried in well-spaced clusters along the stems. Fruits are small, three cornered and rusty-brown, about 4 mm long and have a series 4 to 6 hooked bristles along each margin.

Swamp Dock is widespead and common. It favours wet areas and is found on headlands and in cane fields.

   

18. Curled dock

Rumex crispus

    

A perennial with a deep, thick, taproot and a rosette of dark green and somewhat succulent leaves. The leaves are 15 to 25 cm long and 4 to 8 cm wide. The leaf margins are wavy, curled and serrated. Flower stalks rise from the centre of the rosette and can be up to 1 m high. On the flower stalks are numerous small flowers and stem-clasping leaves with papery margins at the base. Fruits are three-winged, about 5 mm across and crowded into a dense, long, terminal head.

Curled Dock is widespread but is more common in the southern districts. It is a weed of wet areas around buildings, on headlands and in cane fields.

   
   

19. Scoparia weed

Scoparia dulcis

    

An erect, annual, woody-based herb with many branches, growing to 60 cm and occasionally to 1 m. Leaves are usually in groups of three, oval near the base but lance-shaped and with more coarsely-toothed edges towards the top. They are up to 5 cm long including the leaf stalk. Flowers are small, white, about 2 mm across, on slender stalks which are in groups of two or three in the leaf forks. Fruits are small, dry, globular and in a cup of 4 or 5 green lobes, They split into four parts at maturity.

Scoparia Weed Is widespread and common. It grows on disturbed ground including the edges of cane fields, occasionally invading the crop.

   
   

20. Fireweeds

Senecio spp.

    

Erect, annual or perennial herbs growing to 1- m but often less. Leaves mainly narrow, lance-shaped and partially clasping the stem at the base, usually with serrated edges but variable. Flowers are In clusters at the ends of the stalks, daisy-like and yellow.

Fireweeds are common in northern NSW and found in parts of southeast Queensland. They are weeds of wasteland, roadsides, unimproved pastures and grow on the headlands of cane fields.

   
   

21. Spiked sida

Sida subspicata

    

An erect, spreading shrub with very hairy and woody stems. Leaves alternate, grey-green above and paler beneath and covered with a mat of fine hairs. They are oblong, 2 to 10 cm long and 0.5 to 4 cm wide and have serrated edges. Flowers are clustered in the leaf joints, small and with deep yellow to orange petals. Fruits are about 4 mm in diameter, hairy and contain 4 or 5 seeds.

Spiked Sida is found occasionally In southern Queensland and NSW. It inhabits waste ground; roadsides and the margins of light forest.

   
   

22. Witchweeds

Striga spp.

    

Small annuals growing from 15 to 45 cm high and parasitic on the roots of other plants, including sugarcane. The stems are either single or sparingly branched. Leaves near the ground are opposite but beneath the flowers are alternate. They are very narrow and from 18 to 38 mm long. They are rough to touch and black when dry. Flowers are lavender, small and tubular, with the tube expanded unevenly into five petals. Seeds are extremely small, produced in large numbers and remain dormant in the soil for a long time. They rarely germinate in the absence of a suitable host.

Striga is found, on rare occasions, in cane planted on newly cleared land. Infestations are usually scattered but the parasitised cane can be seriously affected.

   
   

23. Purpletop

Verbena bonariensis

    

A coarse annual which is rough to touch and has erect 4-angled stems, growing to 1.5 m. Leaves are opposite, stiff, narrow, oblong and up to 13 cm in length. They have coarse, irregular teeth and no leaf stalk. Flowers are purple and in erect, finger-like spikes at the tops of the stems. Individual flowers are about 3 mm in diameter and the spikes about 5 mm across. Purple-top is a common weed throughout Queensland and NSW. In the canegrowing areas it is found on the margins of fields and on adjacent areas of waste ground.

   
   

24. Common verbena

Verbena litoralis

    

A loosely-branched perennial plant with slender four-angled stems. Leaves are opposite and 4 to 8 cm long and 5 to 10 mm wide, sometimes coarsely toothed and sometimes divided into slender, irregular lobes, particularly towards the base of the plant. The small lavender flowers are. about 2 mm across and usually well spaced on branched spikes up to 15 cm long.

Common Verbena is widespread in central and southern districts but is uncommon in most areas. It is found on waste land, along fence lines and on headlands and is only a minor weed of cane fields.

   
   

25. Veined verbena

Verbena rigida

    

A perennial plant with vertical and horizontal, underground stems and many prostrate, branching stems above ground forming loose clumps. Stems are square in cross section and rough to touch. Leaves are opposite, in pairs at intervals along the stems, rough, dark green, stiff, 4 to 7 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide. The edges are coarsely toothed. Flowers are found in clusters at the ends of branches. Individual clusters are about 2.5 to 3 cm across and flowers are bright purple with a short, narrow tube and spreading petals.

Veined Verbena grows mainly in southern districts and is abundant in some isolated localities. It is usually found on roadsides and banks and occasionally in cane fields.

   
   

26. Vernonia

Vernonia cinerea

    

An erect, perennial herb growing to 60 cm. Leaves are variable in shape but usually oval, tapering at the base to a short leaf stalk. They are 1 to 4 cm long and 0.5 to 2.5 cm wide and some-times have a woolly appearance. Flowers are in groups at the end of the stems, are cylindrical in shape and have purple or white petals.

Vernonia is common in most districts. It is a weed of gardens, roadsides, headlands and around buildings. It flowers in summer and autumn and, at a glance, can be mistaken for Emilia (Emilia sonchifolia).