Glush weed
Hygrophila costata
family
Acanthaceae
origin
Exotic
declaration
Category 3 Restricted Matter (Biosecurity Act 2014)
Must not be distributed or disposed. This means it must not be released into the environment unless the distribution or disposal is authorised in a regulation or under a permit.
Common names
Glush weed, Hygrophila, Lake hygrophila, Sword leaf stricta, Temple weed, Gulf swampweed.
An upright or spreading semi-aquatic herbaceous plant with emergent stems growing up to 1 m or more tall. Its stems are usually somewhat four-angled and produce roots from their joints when they come in contact with the soil. Its elongated leaves (3.5-18 cm long and 0.5-5 cm wide) are borne in pairs along the stems. Small clusters of inconspicuous whitish flowers are borne in the leaf forks. These flowers (about 10 mm long) are stalkless and tubular in shape.
Impact
Impact
Hygrophila (Hygrophila costata) is regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland and New South Wales and is listed as a priority environmental weed in at least one Natural Resource Management region. This species is a significant weed in shallow aquatic habitats in north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland. It thrives in and around the margins of freshwater lakes and slow moving streams, where it spreads rapidly and forms dense mats of vegetation. In fact, hygrophila (Hygrophila costata) often forms dense such stands that it displaces most other plant species in invaded aquatic and wetland habitats. Once the native flora has been displaced, and the habitat changed, native animals may also be displaced from invaded areas.Hygrophila (Hygrophila costata) was recently ranked among the top 20 most invasive plant species in the south-east Queensland region. It is a particularly serious problem in Lake McDonald, near Cooroy, and along the Caboolture River near Caboolture. At Lake McDonald, there is a single infestation of this species covering over 50% of the lake's perimeter, with an estimated area of 73 hectares. Hygrophila (Hygrophila costata) and has also been recorded from several other areas in south-eastern Queensland, including suburban Brisbane, Beaudesert, Maryborough, Beenleigh and the Gold Coast. In New South Wales this species has become naturalised in various coastal locations on the North Coast, including in a wetland near Casino, along Byron Creek downstream of Bangalow and along Burringbar Creek at Mooball. On the Central Coast, where it is an emerging problem, infestations have been found in the Maitland area and at Raymond Terrace near Port Stephens.Hygrophila (Hygrophila costata) is thought to degrade riparian zones by reducing stream flows and altering the natural flow patterns of rivers, streams and wetlands. It is also regarded as a principal weed species affecting freshwater wetlands on coastal floodplains in New South Wales, an ecological community that is listed as endangered in this state.
Location
Location
Characteristics
Characteristics
Similar Species
Similar Species
Hygrophila (Hygrophila costata) is regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland and New South Wales and is listed as a priority environmental weed in at least one Natural Resource Management region. This species is a significant weed in shallow aquatic habitats in north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland. It thrives in and around the margins of freshwater lakes and slow moving streams, where it spreads rapidly and forms dense mats of vegetation. In fact, hygrophila (Hygrophila costata) often forms dense such stands that it displaces most other plant species in invaded aquatic and wetland habitats. Once the native flora has been displaced, and the habitat changed, native animals may also be displaced from invaded areas.Hygrophila (Hygrophila costata) was recently ranked among the top 20 most invasive plant species in the south-east Queensland region. It is a particularly serious problem in Lake McDonald, near Cooroy, and along the Caboolture River near Caboolture. At Lake McDonald, there is a single infestation of this species covering over 50% of the lake's perimeter, with an estimated area of 73 hectares. Hygrophila (Hygrophila costata) and has also been recorded from several other areas in south-eastern Queensland, including suburban Brisbane, Beaudesert, Maryborough, Beenleigh and the Gold Coast. In New South Wales this species has become naturalised in various coastal locations on the North Coast, including in a wetland near Casino, along Byron Creek downstream of Bangalow and along Burringbar Creek at Mooball. On the Central Coast, where it is an emerging problem, infestations have been found in the Maitland area and at Raymond Terrace near Port Stephens.Hygrophila (Hygrophila costata) is thought to degrade riparian zones by reducing stream flows and altering the natural flow patterns of rivers, streams and wetlands. It is also regarded as a principal weed species affecting freshwater wetlands on coastal floodplains in New South Wales, an ecological community that is listed as endangered in this state.
