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Tobacco weed
Tobacco weed flower
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Tobacco weed
General information
A native of the tropical Americas, tobacco weed (Elephantopus mollis) is a vigorous and aggressive weed and is regarded as a serious weed of agriculture in many wet tropical or subtropical countries.
Tobacco weed is a declared Class 2 pest plant under Queensland legislation.
| Scientific name |
Elephantopus mollis |
| Impacts |
- smothers healthy thick pastures with dense masses of broadleafed seedlings
- major threat to the beef and dairy industries of North Queensland
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| Description |
- slender, fast-growing herb reaching up to 150 cm high
- leaves are oblong or oval, 10-20 cm long and 2-5 cm wide, occurring mostly at the base
- flowers are small, white and are in many-headed clusters at tips of stems and side shoots
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| Habitat and distribution |
- grows in fertile soils needing moderate to high rainfall
- seeds spread primarily by animals, machinery and running water
- currently found in the Millaa Millaa area on the southern Atherton Tableland, at Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, Koumala district south of Sarinia and around Teemburra dam to the west of Mackay
- has spread to most tropical regions around the world
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| Control |
- controlled by cultivation
- spray seedlings before they develop the flowering stem
- herbicides effective
- see the tobacco weed fact sheet for further information
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| Declaration details |
- a declared Class 2 species under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002
- control of declared pests is required by landholders
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| Further information |
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Page maintained by Sonia Jordan
Last reviewed 14 September 2011
