Cat’s Ear or Flatweed (Hypochaeris radicata), a globalised temperate zone weed from Europe, and among the most prevalent weeds of Southeastern Australia. Superficially similar to … Read the full post
Common or Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
Common or Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), a Eurasian morning glory and a persistent weed of cereal crops and urban waste grounds. Also comes more strongly … Read the full post
African boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum)
African boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum) in all its dread angles, a declared weed of national significance. A nightshade native to the Cape provinces of South Africa, … Read the full post
Purple-top, or Argentine, Tall or Wild Vervain (Verbena bonariensis var. conglomerata)
Purple-top, or Argentine, Tall or Wild Vervain (Verbena bonariensis), an infamous presence in the lowland pastures of NSW and QLD from the 1850s or earlier, … Read the full post
Cut-leaf Crane’s-bill (Geranium dissectum)
Cut-leaf Crane’s-bill (Geranium dissectum), a Eurasian weed of disturbed lawns and cultivated sites. Introduced as a contaminant in seed or hay, this geranium arrived in … Read the full post
Bear’s Breeches, Oyster Plant (Acanthus mollis)
Bear’s Breeches, Oyster Plant (Acanthus mollis), saccharine ancestral totem of the Victorian garden, and another adventive discard that successfully makes its own way in the … Read the full post
Pinwheel Aeonium (Aeonium haworthii)
Pinwheel Aeonium (Aeonium haworthii), forming a remarkable patch of aerial succulent garden over the Merri Creek. Aeonium is a Canary Islands native, and formerly enjoyed … Read the full post
Fishtail Woodsorrel (Oxalis latifolia)
Fishtail Woodsorrel (Oxalis latifolia), white-flowering form. Longtime subscribers know that this channel favours Victoria’s heavy complement of wood-sorrel species. Having previously featured the pink-flowering form … Read the full post
Flax-leaf Fleabane (Erigeron bonariensis)
Flax-leaf Fleabane (Erigeron bonariensis), a South American colonist of paddocks and grain fields, and a persistent exploiter of pavement cracks and lightly trafficked waste grounds … Read the full post
Purple Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius)
Purple Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius), a taproot-forming biennial flower from Europe, and an occasional casual food crop that like so many others became a weed in … Read the full post
Smooth Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris glabra)
Smooth Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris glabra), with hoverfly. Reported in Tasmania from 1844, SA from 1847, and Victoria from 1867 when it showed up in the Midlands … Read the full post
Slender Vervain (Verbena rigida)
Slender Vervain (Verbena rigida) on the cusp of weediness at Boroondara (Kew) General Cemetery. Verbana rigida was an early introduction to Victoria as a popular … Read the full post
European Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima)
European Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima), a specialist of the coastal strand and a ballast weed delivered to Western Australia in the 1890s and to Victoria … Read the full post
Coastal Gazania (Gazania rigens)
Coastal Gazania (Gazania rigens), a major component of Melbourne’s fluorescent coast although it is the less extensively established of Victoria’s two weed Gazanias. Native to … Read the full post
Cape Fig or Sour Fig (Carpobrotus edulis)
Cape Fig or Sour Fig (Carpobrotus edulis), part of the palette of the metropolitan’s fluorescent coast, and another South African import that has transformed urban … Read the full post
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), growing beneath an overhanging structure, at the boundary wall of the ground floor car park of a multi-unit residential building constructed c. … Read the full post
Dew Flower (Drosanthemum candens)
Dew Flower (Drosanthemum candens) seen here in a coastal setting. Even though it was past its flowering peak, this incredible colony behind a lifesaving station … Read the full post
Creeping wood-sorrel (Oxalis corniculata)
Creeping wood-sorrel (Oxalis corniculata), in its anthocyanin form (producing red foliage — the species also comes in green). Sometimes cultivated as an edible, lemony green, … Read the full post
Fragrant False-garlic (Nothoscordum borbonicum)
Fragrant False-garlic (Nothoscordum borbonicum), making its annual appearance this month at front fences across the metropolitan. Although an occasional pasture weed in Victoria’s north and … Read the full post
Hemlock (Conium maculatum)
Hemlock (Conium maculatum), a toxic Eurasian and North African carrot. AgVic’s public file suggests the plant was deliberately introduced to Australia, however as Hemlock is … Read the full post
Water Spiderwort (Tradescantia fluminensis)
Water Spiderwort (Tradescantia fluminensis), a notorious colonist of Melbourne’s creeklines and river valleys. Still known popularly in some quarters as Wandering Jew (also Wandering Trad, … Read the full post
Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)
Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum), as a single spontaneous volunteer on railway embankment in Richmond. Naturalised in Australia around 1900, the first formal records of the … Read the full post
Pimpernel (Lysimachia arvensis)
Pimpernel (Lysimachia arvensis) of the scarlet variety. Commonly known to past generations as the shepherd’s or poor man’s weatherglass (for its weather-responsive flowers), this is … Read the full post
Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)
Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens), an invader of shady damp in wetland and woodland complexes in the ranges and the southeast, and a fixture of river … Read the full post
Sticky Mouse-eared Chickweed (Cerastium glomeratum)
Sticky Mouse-eared Chickweed (Cerastium glomeratum). Featured previously on this channel, today’s post shows the detail of the plant’s flowers in full bloom. The plant is … Read the full post
Bachelor’s Buttons (Cotula australis)
Bachelor’s Buttons (Cotula australis), a native Australian colonist of damp areas where rocks or other obstructions exclude taller-growing plants, and a weed of similar urban … Read the full post
Dolichos Pea (Dipogon lignosus)
Dolichos Pea (Dipogon lignosus), another plant brought from the Cape Colony that is now a permanent part of the landscape of Melbourne and Victoria. Sold … Read the full post
Dew Flower (Drosanthemum candens)
Dew Flower (Drosanthemum candens), a South African member of the ice plant family that has sparsely established around Port Phillip Bay as well as on … Read the full post
Pregnant Onion (Albuca bracteata)
Pregnant Onion (Albuca bracteata) on a sandstone railway cutting. Like so many of Melbourne’s weeds, the plant is native to South Africa. However, excepting a … Read the full post
Red-flowered Mallow (Modiola caroliniana)
Red-flowered Mallow (Modiola caroliniana), a modest but pervasive colonist of damp and fertile sites of disturbance throughout Australia. This plant was ubiquitous in the vicinity … Read the full post