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Badhara bush

Pest alert

If you have seen this plant

Call QPIF  13 25 23

Photograph of the dark green oval adult leaves and yellow pear-shaped fruit of badhara bush
Badhara bush leaf and fruit
Photograph of a man standing in front of a tall dense impenetrable thicket of badhara bush
Badhara bush infestation
Photo of the Badhara Bush
Badhara bush leaf
Photo of the Badhara Bush Up
Badhara bush plant

General information

Badhara bush (Gmelina elliptica) is a Class 1 declared pest plant in Queensland. Class 1 pests established in Queensland are subject to eradication from the state. 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 the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. Penalties of up to $80,000 apply.

Badhara bush occurs naturally throughout Asia, although it has been introduced to warmer regions of the world, particularly as a cultivated ornamental.

Overview

Scientific name Gmelina elliptica
Impacts
  • forms dense, impenetrable thickets
  • shades-out useful pasture species
  • prevents stock movement
  • decreases biodiversity
Description
  • highly variable, thorny shrub or small tree
  • 2-4 m in height (occasionally 10 m)
  • yellowish or brownish white stems
  • branches armed with pairs of spines
  • leaves dark green above, paler below, in opposite pairs, usually with one of the pair smaller than the other
  • leaves generally ovate, 1-10 cm long, 1.5-6 cm wide, pointed at the apex
  • younger leaves 3-lobed, older leaves entire, with sparse hairs on undersides
  • yellow tubular flowers, generally around 5 cm long
  • fruit yellow (when ripe) and pear-shaped, about 1.5 cm across
Habitat/distribution/life cycle
  • spreads mainly by bird-dispersed seeds
  • woody taproots can produce suckers, particularly after disturbance
  • only known infestations in Queensland near Rockhampton
Declaration details
  • a declared Class 1 plant 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
Further information

Page maintained by Sonia Jordan
Last updated 21 April 2009
URL: http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/xchg/dpi/hs.xsl/cps/rde/dpi/hs.xsl/4790_7118_ENA_HTML.htm

© The State of Queensland, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries 1995 - 2009.
Copyright protects this material. Except as permitted by the Copyright Act, reproduction by any means (photocopying, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise), making available online, electronic transmission or other publication of this material is prohibited without the prior written permission of The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland. Inquiries should be addressed to copyright@dpi.qld.gov.au (Queensland residents phone 13 25 23; non-Queensland residents phone 61 7 3404 6999).