Mimosa pigra

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Mimosa pigra

Pest alert

If you have seen this plant

Call QPIF  13 25 23

Close up photograph of the buds and pink bloom of the Mimosa pigra plant
Mimosa pigra flower
Photo of the Mimosa Pigra with ruler
Mimosa pigra pods
Photo of Mimosa Pigra
Mimosa pigra infestation
Photograph of an infestation of Mimosa pigra
Mimosa pigra

General information

Mimosa pigra is a Class 1 declared pest plant in Queensland and a Weed of National Significance (WONS). 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 Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries. Penalties of up to $80,000 apply.

This plant is one of the worst weeds in a number of tropical countries and is well established in the Northern Territory, where about 80,000 ha of floodplains have been covered.

If it were to become established in Queensland, Mimosa pigra would pose a severe threat to a number of industries and the wetland areas of the humid and subhumid tropics.

Overview

Scientific name Mimosa pigra
Impacts
  • aggressive growth habit
  • forms dense, impenetrable thickets, 3#6 m high
  • establishes along river banks, encroaches into billabongs and out onto drier floodplains
  • affects accessibility to water for stock, irrigation and recreation purposes
  • smothers pastures, reducing available grazing area, and affects stock mustering
Description
  • an erect, branched shrub, up to 6 m tall
  • has a branching tap root extending 1-2 m deep
  • has rose-like thorns, 5-10 mm long
  • leaves are bright green, fern-like, 20-25 cm long
  • prickly central leaf stalk
  • flowers are round, fluffy, pink, 1-2 cm wide
  • each flower produces a cluster of 10-20 thickly-haired seed pods, 6-8 cm long
  • each pod contains 20-25 oblong-shaped seeds, 4#5 mm long and 2 mm wide
Habitat and distribution
  • native to tropical America
  • potential to colonise wetlands of tropical Australia
  • main method of spread is by floods, tidal movement, seeds sticking to clothes, hair or on vehicles
  • found in moist situations such as floodplains and river banks
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
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Page maintained by Sonia Jordan
Last updated 19 May 2009

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© The State of Queensland, Primary Industries and Fisheries within the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation 1995-2009.
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