Asparagus weeds - Weeds Australia

Biology and threatCommon bridal creeper (Asparagusasparagoides)Asparagus asparagoides is commonly knownas bridal creeper. It was previously knownas Myrsiphyllum asparagoides (L.) Willd., A.medeoloides (L.f.) Thunb., Dracaena medeoloidesL.f., Medeola asparagoides L., Elachantherasewelliae F.Muell. and Luzariaga sewelliae(F.Muell.) K.Krause. Other common names includebridal veil creeper, florist’s smilax, baby smilax andfalse smilax, but it should not be confused withnative plants in the genus Smilax.Origin and distributionInfestation of common bridal creeperBiosecurity SABridal creeper comes from a range of climaticregions in southern Africa, including areas withwinter, summer and evenly distributed rainfall. Itwas first recorded in Australia in 1857 in a nurserycatalogue and by the 1870s it was a commongarden plant. Within 50 years after introduction,bridal creeper had become naturalised and widelydistributed throughout southern WA, SA and VIC,with localised infestations in parts of NSW, QLD,Lord Howe Island and TAS. It is also a weed inNew Zealand and South America.Climate modelling indicates that the full extent ofits range has not yet been reached. There is a risk ofinvasion in areas of rainfall greater than 350 mm,including central-northern and far south-easterncoasts of WA, far south-western coast and northernagricultural districts of SA, northern and southwesternVIC, central and southern NSW, south-eastQLD and northern and eastern TAS (Scott andBatchelor 2006).Habitat in AustraliaBridal creeper invades a wide range of habitatsthroughout Australia, including coastal vegetation,wet and dry sclerophyll forests, heathlands, malleeshrublands and river banks. It prefers shaded orpart-shaded situations, is found on most soil typesand can tolerate a wide range of pH and climaticconditions. It thrives in nutrient-enhanced soilssuch as along drainage lines. It does not persist inpastures or most cropping situations due to grazingand cultivation.Environmental impactsBridal creeper is very competitive. Its shoots form adense canopy that shades out native shrubs, herbsand seedlings. The tuberous root mat forms a thickbarrier just below the soil surface, which can limitthe establishment of native seedlings by restrictingaccess to soil moisture, nutrients, available spaceand light. This in turn can affect animals thatdepend on native plants.Bridal creeper can cause significant economiclosses by smothering trees and seedlings in forestryand plantation citrus orchards (Kwong 2006).It further reduces the productivity of orchards byshading trees (e.g. citrus and avocado trees) andinterferes with fruit picking.Bridal creeper is ranked as SA’s most damagingenvironmental weed (Bass and Lawrie 2003).Biology and ecologyBridal creeper is a climbing plant with twistingstems that grow up to 3 m long and branchextensively. Plants have soft and shiny, broadlyovate, green leaf-like cladodes (leaves) that are4–30 mm wide and 10–70 mm long. Leaves24