Watsonia meriana var. bulbillifera (J.Mathews & L.Bolus) D.A.Cooke
J.Adelaide Bot.Gard. 18:6 (1998)
Conservation Code:
Not threatened
Naturalised Status: Alien to Western Australia
Name Status:
Current
Brief Description
Amanda Spooner,
Thursday 16 August 2007
Cormous, perennial, herb, to 2.5 m high, flowers in lower part of inflorescence replaced with clusters of cormils; capsules rarely produced. Fl. pink-red/orange, Sep to Dec. Grey sandy loam, brown gravelly loam, brown sandy clay, pale sandy alluvium. Valley slopes, winter-wet areas, along riverbanks & creeklines, roadside drains. Distribution: South-west. AW, ESP, JF, SWA and WAR.
Management Notes (for the Swan NRM Region)
Kate Brown and Karen Bettink,
Thursday 8 September 2011
Alternative Names. Bulbil Watsonia.
General Biology. Growth form. Geophyte. Life form. Annually renewed corm, some dormancy between fire. Reproduction. Offsets, cormels on stem and base, occasionally seed. Dispersal. Water, soil, wind. Time to first flowering. 2-3 years. Seedbank persistence. Medium, 1-5 years. Fire response. Generally survives fire. Prolific flowering and seed set follow summer fire.
Notes. Watsonia meriana var.bulbillifera has been noted to set seed and produce bubils on the same flowering stem in south-west Australia.
Additional information. Origin. Southern Africa. History of use/introduction. Garden escape.
Suggested method of management and control. Wipe individual leaves with glyphosate 10% or spray dense infestations with 2,2-DPA 10 g/L + Pulse®. Apply just as flower spikes emerge at corm exhaustion. Read the manufacturers' labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. For further information consult the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to determine the status of permits for your situation or state.
Management Calendar
| Calendar Type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dormant | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||||||||
| Active Growth | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||||
| Flowering | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||||
| Germination | |||||||||||||
| Optimum Treatment | Y |
Legend: Y = Yes, regularly, O = Occasionally, U = Uncertain, referred by others but not confirmed.
References
- Brown, K. & Brooks, K. (2002) Bushland Weeds: A Practical Guide to their Management. Environmental Weeds Action Network, Greenwood.
- Du Plessis, N. & Duncan G. (1989) Bulbous plants of Southern Africa. Tafelberg Publishers Ltd, Cape Town, South Africa.
- Goldblatt, P. (1989) The genus Watsonia. A systematic monograph. Annals of Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens, 19.
- Hussey, B.M.J., Keighery, G.J., Dodd, J., Lloyd, S.G. & Cousens, R.D. (2007) Western Weeds. A guide to the weeds of Western Australia. 2nd Edition. The Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Victoria Park.
- Manning, J., Goldblatt, P. & Snijman, D. (2002) The color encyclopedia of Cape bulbs. Timber Press (Inc.), Portland, USA.
- Moore, J.H. & Fletcher, G.E (1994) Bulbil watsonia. Plant Protection Quarterly, 9 (3): 82-85.
