Bristly star bur
Acanthospermum hispidum
family
Asteraceae
origin
Exotic
declaration
NIL
For information only
Common names
Bristly star-bur, Bristly starbur, Bristly starburr, Goathead, Goat's head, Goat's-head, Hispid starrburr, Slingshot weed, Texas cockspur, Upright star burr.
Starburr (Acanthospermum hispidum) is an upright, rough to touch (due to being covered with stiff white hairs), branched annual (short lived) herb growing up to 1 m high (although usually growing less than 50 cm) and is a member of the daisy family. Its leaves are stalkless, covered in stiff hairs, and borne in pairs along the stems. its inconspicuous yellowish-green flowers are borne in the forks of the leaves near the top of the plant. its fruit develop into 5-10 spiny wedge-shaped 'seeds' which radiate outward and form a distinctive star-shaped 'burr'.
Impact
Impact
Though this species is largely seen as a pest of agicultural ecosystems (i.e. summer cropping systems and rangelands) in northern and eastern Australia, it is also regarded as an environmental weed in the northern parts of the country (i.e. in northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia). In these areas it is known to invade native rangeland pastures and out-compete more desirable native species, particularly along waterways and on nearby floodplains. This not only has a negative impact on the productivity of these pastures but also effects their biodiversity. Starrburr (Acanthospermum hispidum ) has also invaded national parks and aboriginal lands, where it may cause even more significant environmental damage., Isolated plants and small populations can be physically controlled by removing the plants by hand or digging and then burning or deeply burying the material. Monitoring of the area and follow-up controls may be required to remove any new seedlings. Starburr is an annual, so preventing it from seeding will eventually eliminate it. Cultivation or slashing is effective if undertaken prior to seed set, but if left till after seed set these actions could spread the plant instead. Where cultivation is practicable, the field needs to be ploughed to bury any existing seeds at least 10 cm below the surface and then sown with a suitable perennial pasture, preferably a species that provides a dense surface cover and shading. Any weed seedlings sprouting from the newly sown pasture must be removed as soon as practicable. Plants can also be effectively controlled by chemicals (Kleinschmidt & Johnson 1977; Miller & Schultz 1997; Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001)., For example, starrburr (Acanthospermum hispidum) is seen as a threat to the Flora River Nature Park in the northern parts of the Northern Territory. It is one of several species of particular concern in this reserve, because it is common in surrounding areas and could easily invade the park through flood waters, feral animals, wandering stock, vehicles and visitor activities. Starrburr (Acanthospermum hispidum) is also ranked as a high priority weed in aboriginal lands of the Northern Land Council area, and listed as an environmental weed in the Townsville City Council region. It was also recently listed as a priority environmental weed in two of Australia's Natural Resource Management regions.
Location
Location
Characteristics
Characteristics
Similar Species
Similar Species
Though this species is largely seen as a pest of agicultural ecosystems (i.e. summer cropping systems and rangelands) in northern and eastern Australia, it is also regarded as an environmental weed in the northern parts of the country (i.e. in northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia). In these areas it is known to invade native rangeland pastures and out-compete more desirable native species, particularly along waterways and on nearby floodplains. This not only has a negative impact on the productivity of these pastures but also effects their biodiversity. Starrburr (Acanthospermum hispidum ) has also invaded national parks and aboriginal lands, where it may cause even more significant environmental damage., Isolated plants and small populations can be physically controlled by removing the plants by hand or digging and then burning or deeply burying the material. Monitoring of the area and follow-up controls may be required to remove any new seedlings. Starburr is an annual, so preventing it from seeding will eventually eliminate it. Cultivation or slashing is effective if undertaken prior to seed set, but if left till after seed set these actions could spread the plant instead. Where cultivation is practicable, the field needs to be ploughed to bury any existing seeds at least 10 cm below the surface and then sown with a suitable perennial pasture, preferably a species that provides a dense surface cover and shading. Any weed seedlings sprouting from the newly sown pasture must be removed as soon as practicable. Plants can also be effectively controlled by chemicals (Kleinschmidt & Johnson 1977; Miller & Schultz 1997; Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001)., For example, starrburr (Acanthospermum hispidum) is seen as a threat to the Flora River Nature Park in the northern parts of the Northern Territory. It is one of several species of particular concern in this reserve, because it is common in surrounding areas and could easily invade the park through flood waters, feral animals, wandering stock, vehicles and visitor activities. Starrburr (Acanthospermum hispidum) is also ranked as a high priority weed in aboriginal lands of the Northern Land Council area, and listed as an environmental weed in the Townsville City Council region. It was also recently listed as a priority environmental weed in two of Australia's Natural Resource Management regions.
