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Mikania vine
Pest alert
If you have seen this plant
Call us 13 25 23
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- Mikania vine flowers
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- Mikania vine seeds
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- Mikania vine leaf
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- Mikania vine
General information
Mikania vine (Mikania micrantha) is a Class 1 declared pest plant in Queensland. Class 1 pests established in Queensland are subject to eradication from the state. It is the target of a national eradication program which menas it is subject to eradication from mainland Australia. Landowners must take reasonable steps to keep land free of Class 1 pests. It is a serious offence to introduce, keep or supply a Class 1 pest without a permit issued by Biosecurity Queensland. Penalties of up to $80,000 apply.
There are many species of Mikania, most native to the Americas, and many are serious weeds. Mikania micrantha is also known as 'mile-a-minute' weed because it rapidly chokes and smothers areas it has recently colonised.
Overview
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Scientific name |
Mikania spp. |
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Impacts |
- spreads rapidly and smothers native vegetation and crops
- able to reproduce by seed and vegetatively
- threatens World Heritage listed forests of North Queensland
- a pest in plantation crops and commercial forests
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Description |
- a multi-stemmed perennial vine creeper and climber
- leaves are heart-shaped, 4-13 cm long, taper to an acute point, arranged in opposite pairs along the stem
- four individual flower heads, 4-6 mm long, white to greenish-white, which in Australia can occur anytime between May and October
- seeds black, 1.5-2 mm long, thin, 5-angled
- able to reproduce vegetatively (from cuttings, detached leaves and stems)
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Habitat and distribution |
- native to Central and South America
- thrives in humid environments where rainfall exceeds 1000 mm per annum
- prefers rich damp soils
- a serious weed in West Africa through to India, South-East Asia, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands
- first found in Australia in 1998 at Ingham and Bingil Bay
- potential distribution in Australia includes the coastal regions of the Northern Territory, northern Western Australia, much of eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales
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Control |
- mikania vine is the target of a national eradication program
- new infestations must
- be reported to the Biosecurity Queensland hotline, phone 13 25 23
- be identified and removed by approved officers
- have their locations recorded prior to removal
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Declaration details |
- a declared Class 1 species under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002
- importation, possession and sale is prohibited
- landowners are required by law to keep their land free of this plant
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Further information |
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Page maintained by Sonia Jordan
Last reviewed 14 September 2011
