Know your weeds: Bluebell Creeper

Common Name: Bluebell Creeper Scientific Name: Billardiera heterophylla Native to Western Australia, a weed to areas of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.

Growth habit: Evergreen twining climber or dense rambling shrub, growing to 3-5m. Shiny leaves, oval to lance shaped, 5-7cm. Flowers have 5 petals, approximately 1cm in diameter, generally blue but may range from white to pink, arranged in drooping clusters. Fruits are long and oval shaped, initially green, but ripening to purple/blue in late summer/autumn. Bluebell creeper tolerates partial shade through to full sun and is known to invade forest communities under moderate canopy cover. Tolerant of frost and saline soils, establishes rapidly after fire, however seeds are not dependent on fire to germinate. Seeds are reported to remain viable in the soil profile for five or more years.

Weed spread and impact: Copious seeds are produced in the fruit and eaten by birds and foxes, dispersing seeds in their droppings. Smothers native ground covers and shrubs and invades surrounding bushland. Bluebell creeper can also spread from root segments in transferred soil, fill and dumped garden waste. Absence of competitive growth under Bluebell creeper canopies indicates potential allelopathic properties.

Surf Coast Shire Council has classified Bluebell Creeper as an ‘environmental weed’ and we actively control it in our nature reserves, open space areas and on some roadsides – particularly where we have an active and established community/landcare group also working on controlling it on private land.

Management options:

Manual removal (chipping): Isolated plants can be dug out, ensuring to remove all roots.

Cut stump: Cut off all foliage 2-5cm above ground level with secateurs, applying a registered herbicide (eg.glyphosate, metsulfuron-methyl, Vigilant II gel) using a paint brush or applicator. Note that cut stump dilution rates are significantly more concentrated than for spray application. Care must be taken when handling and applying any herbicide and all label indications and warnings must be adhered to. Where cut stump application has been carried out, all foliage must be removed from the area and destroyed by burning or solarisation. Composting will not reduce seed viability.

Spray application: For small, isolated plants, non-selective herbicide (eg. Glyphosate) application may be suitable, however overspray should be minimised as off-target application may open up the area to further infestation. Large scale infestations should be treated with selective herbicide in order to avoid creating bare patches prone to re-infestation. Monitoring and follow-up treatment of control areas must be carried out in order to identify seedling emergence before infestations return.

Other weeds needing attention over summer:

With many weeds flowering, identification can be easier. Wild Watsonia and Blackberry are currently in flower. Treatment now will prevent seed set and improve long term management programs.

Blackberry flower

Blackberry fruit

Watsonia growth habit

Watsonia flower spike

#Weeds #Bluebellcreeper #biosecurity