MyWeedWatcher Update: Dec 2016 – Feb 2017

ContentsTraining material on how to use MyWeedWatcher..........................................................4

Have you had problems logging into MyWeedWatcher?.................................................4

Weed of the month: African acacias................................................................................4

Report declared weeds for sale on the internet...............................................................6

Declared weeds to report in February.............................................................................7

Online weed identification courses..................................................................................8

Weeds mapped from November 2016 to January 2017 on MyWeedWatcher................8

Contact details................................................................................................................9

Training material on how to use MyWeedWatcherTraining material showing you how to use MyWeedWatcher is available, and can be found at www.agric.wa.gov.au/myweedwatcher-training-material.

Have you had problems logging into MyWeedWatcher?In late August and early September 2016 new users and those resetting their passwords were unable to login to DAFWA/MyWeedWatcher. On 29 August DAFWA reset its internal computer systems. This affected all user registration for new passwords and resetting passwords in DAFWA. This problem was rectified in September 2016.

Are you generally having problems logging into MyWeedWatcher? Please refer to our updates page for some tip on what to do: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/myweedwatcher-updates.

You will also be pleased to know that a priority of MyWeedWatcher phase 2 development is to streamline the login process. 

Weed of the month: African acaciasMost trees are a welcome addition to the landscape – providing shade and shelter, fodder for livestock, delicious fruit and nuts for human consumption, food and habitat for wildlife and beautiful flowers. However, some trees pose a major threat to agriculture and the environment.

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African acacias are particularly threatening to the Western Australian ecosystem. Karroo thorn (Vachellia karroo, formerly Acacia karroo) is one of these species. It has been found in Western Australia and other parts of Australia in the past.Being native across a wide part of Africa, it is perfectly adapted to the WA environment including most of southern WA.It has flowers and leaves similar to Australian wattle species and can reach to a height of 12 metres. Its most distinctive feature is large white thorns, which can grow up to 10cm long in V-shaped pairs. With its large menacing thorns, karroo thorn can form dense, impenetrable thickets. One large tree can produce up to 19,000 seeds per year and the seeds can last in the soil for up to seven years! Giraffe thorn (Acacia erioloba) is another African acacia that has been found in WA in the past. It also has distinctive large white thorns in V-shaped pairs, as well as felty ear-shaped seed pods. If found in WA, karroo thorn, giraffe thorn and any other suspect exotic acacias must be reported and eradicated.

Look-a-likesNo Australian wattles have large thorns like these (see below). Native acacias like Acacia pulchella (Prickly moses) are prickly shrubs with much smaller leaves and thorns. Vachellia farnesiana, which is not a declared plant, can be found scatteredthrough the State’s wheatbelt, North West and the Kimberley. Prickly acacia (Vachellia nilotica), which is declared, has previously been found in a remote part of the Kimberley and is well established in Queensland.As these species can have larger thorns, it is best to report them and provide photos of the plant, flowers and seed pods.

How you can helpPhotograph any wattle-like trees or shrubs with large white thorns and report using the free MyWeedWatcher App or online: agric.wa.gov.au and search for ‘MyWeedWatcher’. Alternatively email photographs and location information to: info@agric. wa.gov.au or call 1800 084 881.Don’t order seeds from the internet until you have checked they are permitted entry into WA. Check the WA Organism List (WAOL), if you’re still not sure, phone Quarantine WA on 9334 1800.

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Reporting unfamiliar weeds You can report biosecurity concerns or unfamiliar weeds using MyWeedWatcher or alternatively, contact the Pest and Disease Information Service on 1800 084 881 or email info@agric.wa.gov.au.

Report declared weeds for sale on the internetThe MyWeedWatcher weed surveillance project has started searching the internet for sales of declared weeds to and in Western Australia. Each time we look we find vendors selling declared weeds into Western Australia.

Help us find internet sales by reporting them on MyWeedWatcher.

Selling declared cactus species is very popular at the moment.

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Declared weeds to report in FebruaryNodding thistle:

agric.wa.gov.au/n/874 Wheel cactus: agric.wa.gov.au/n/4926

Purple flowered devils claw: agric.wa.gov.au/n/743 Acacia karoo: agric.wa.gov.au/n/644

Weeds the community can map in February

Apple of Sodom: agric.wa.gov.au/n/676 Silverleaf nightshade: agric.wa.gov.au/n/958

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Online weed identification coursesTo improve your skills at identifying weeds, DAFWA has published 23 small online weed identification courses available at http://dafwa.moodle.com.au/externaluser/.

If you are first time user of DAFWAs new external Moodle training site you will need to create a login. The following identification courses are available:

African acacias: karroo thorn ( Vachellia karroo ) . Apple of Sodom ( Solanum linnaeanum ) . Arum lily ( Zantedeschia aethiopica ) . Bathurst burr ( Xanthium spinosum ) . Branched broomrape ( Orobanche ramosa ) . Cape tulip ( Moraea flaccida (one-leaf) & Moraea miniata (two-leaf) . Cotton bush ( Gomphocarpus fruticosus ) . Creeping knapweed ( Rhaponticum   repens ) . Doublegee ( Emex australis ) . Early blackberry ( Rubus laudatus ) . Gorse ( Ulex europaeus ) . Hoary cress ( Lepidium draba ) . Horsetail ( Equisetum hyemale ) . Kochia (Bassia scoparia) . Nodding thistle ( Carduus nutans ) . Paterson's curse ( Echium plantagineum ) . Perennial thistle (Cirsium arvense) . Purple flowered devil's claw ( Proboscidea louisianica ) . Ragwort ( Senecio jacobaea ) . Silverleaf nightshade ( Solanum elaeagnifolium ) . Skeleton weed ( Chondrilla juncea ) . Three horned bedstraw ( Galium tricornutum ) . Wheel cactus ( Opuntia robusta ) .

Let us know what you think!

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Weeds mapped from November 2016 to January 2017 on MyWeedWatcherMyWeedWatcher had at end of December a total of 1094 App Units/Installs on active devices (802 App units from iTunes and 292 active installs from Google play). The Christmas holiday period can be slow: from November 2016 to January 2017, 43 weeds were mapped using MyWeedWatcher. They included 1 prohibited weed (C1), 2 weeds under eradication (C2); 29 declared weeds (C3 management), 8 permitted weeds, and 3 unknown weeds (Table 1).

To find out more about declaration status and control categories of weeds and other organisms visit the Western Australian Organism List at https://agric.wa.gov.au/n/1432.

Table 1 Weeds mapped to MyWeedWatcher in November 2016 - January 2017.

Common Name Pest LGA Declaration status CategoryPaterson's curse Echium plantagineum L. MANDURAH Declared Pest - s22(2) C3St John's wort Hypericum perforatum L. SERPENTINE-JARRAHDALE Declared Pest - s22(2) C3arum lily Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng. CANNING Declared Pest - s22(2) C3arum lily Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng. SWAN Declared Pest - s22(2) C3arum lily Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng. CANNING Declared Pest - s22(2) C3arum lily Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng. CANNING Declared Pest - s22(2) C3arum lily Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng. CANNING Declared Pest - s22(2) C3arum lily Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng. SWAN Declared Pest - s22(2) C3bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce BODDINGTON Declared Pest - s22(2) C3bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce BODDINGTON Declared Pest - s22(2) C3bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce BODDINGTON Declared Pest - s22(2) C3bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce BODDINGTON Declared Pest - s22(2) C3bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce BODDINGTON Declared Pest - s22(2) C3bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce BODDINGTON Declared Pest - s22(2) C3bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce BODDINGTON Declared Pest - s22(2) C3bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce BODDINGTON Declared Pest - s22(2) C3caltrop Tribulus terrestris L. CANNING Permitted - s11

cane cactus Austrocylindropuntia cylindrica (Juss. ex Lam.) Backeb. SOUTH PERTH Declared Pest - s22(2) C3

common prickly pear Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. MERREDIN Declared Pest - s22(2) C3common prickly pear Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. WESTONIA Declared Pest - s22(2) C3

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Common Name Pest LGA Declaration status Categorycommon prickly pear Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. WESTONIA Declared Pest - s22(2) C3doublegee Emex australis Steinh. WANNEROO Declared Pest - s22(2) C3giant reed Arundo donax L. WANNEROO Permitted - s11lesser broomrape Orobanche minor Sm. BODDINGTON Permitted - s11narrow leaf cotton bush Gomphocarpus fruticosus (L.) W.T.Aiton TOODYAY Declared Pest - s22(2) C3narrow leaf cotton bush Gomphocarpus fruticosus (L.) W.T.Aiton CANNING Declared Pest - s22(2) C3narrow leaf cotton bush Gomphocarpus fruticosus (L.) W.T.Aiton BELMONT Declared Pest - s22(2) C3narrow leaf cotton bush Gomphocarpus fruticosus (L.) W.T.Aiton DONNYBROOK-BALINGUP Declared Pest - s22(2) C3olive Olea europaea L. JOONDALUP Permitted - s11purple or blue morning-glory Ipomoea indica (Burm.) Merr. ARMADALE Permitted - s11

salvinia Salvinia molesta D.S.Mitch. ARMADALE Declared Pest, Prohibited - s12 C2

salvinia Salvinia molesta D.S.Mitch. BELMONT Declared Pest, Prohibited - s12 C2

sharp leaved fluellen Kickxia elatine (L.) Dumort. SWAN Permitted - s11skeleton weed Chondrilla juncea L. QUAIRADING Declared Pest - s22(2) C3smooth catsear Hypochaeris glabra L. BUNBURY Permitted - s11two-leaf cape tulip Moraea miniata Andrews MANDURAH Declared Pest - s22(2) C3

wheel cactus Opuntia robusta H.L.Wendl. ex Pfeiff. NANNUP Declared Pest, Prohibited - s12 C1

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. KELLERBERRIN Declared Pest - s22(2) C3Rosa hybrids nom. hort. BRIDGETOWN-GREENBUSHES Permitted - s11Opuntia tomentosa Salm-Dyck BELMONT Declared Pest - s22(2) C3Unknown MANJIMUPUnknown MANJIMUPUnknown MANJIMUP

Contact detailsDr Tamrika Lanoiselet (PhD) | Executive Officer | Information and Knowledge Management

t: (08) 9368 3443 | m: 0428 949 103 | w: www.agric.wa.gov.au

e: tamrika.lanoiselet@agric.wa.gov.au

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