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Parkinsonia
Parkinsonia flower
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Parkinsonia
General information
Thought to be native to tropical America, Parkinsonia (Parkinsonia aculeata) is a hairless shrub that has spread throughout the world as an ornamental and shade tree.
Parkinsonia is a Class 2 declared plant under Queensland legislation and a Weed of National Significance (WONS).
| Scientific name |
Parkinsonia aculeata |
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Impacts |
- forms dense, often impenetrable, thorny thickets along watercourses and bore drains
- restricts stock access to drinking water and makes mustering virtually impossible
- provides a harbour for feral pigs, which predate on livestock, damage crops, and seriously degrade the environment
- flooded country is particularly susceptible to invasion from floating seeds
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| Description |
- grows up to 10 m tall
- branches are slender, zig-zagged and have sharp spines
- leaves have a short, spine-tipped stalk
- leaf branches are 20-40 cm long
- flowers are yellow, fragrant, five-petalled, each on a long, slender drooping stalk
- seed pods are pencil-like, 5#10 cm long and constricted between seeds
- seeds are oval, about 15 mm long, have a thick and extremely hard coat remaining viable until favourable conditions occur
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| Habitat and distribution |
- adaptable to a wide range of soil types
- found along watercourses in sub-humid and semi-arid areas of Queensland
- infestations in the Gulf of Carpentaria Region and Fitzroy catchment are up to several kilometres across
- flowers in early summer of its second or third year of growth then exploits variable seasonal conditions
- pods mature in late summer and are readily dispersed by flood waters
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| Control |
- three species of insects have been introduced as biological control agents
- a combined approach of different control methods including chemical, mechanical, biological and fire with land management practices is most effective
- see the parkinsonia 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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