BUT WHICH BLACK-EYED SUSAN?

The Invader- Black-eyed Susan

Up along the ridge, our beautiful, threatened Black-eyed Susan, Tetratheca juncea, will be thinking about budding with its pendant blue flowers soon.

Meanwhile, 'the Other' Black-eyed Susan, the Invader, is running rampant through the edges of our bushland and along the foreshore at Threlkled. She is Thunbergia alata, a slender vine that grows about 4m long. She is native to Eastern Africa, and has become an invasive weed species in Australia.

Her bright yellow-orange flowers, with a striking black centre, certainly catch the eye. Her leaves are roughly triangular to heart-shaped, with soft fine hairs and broadly toothed margins.

Roots form at the nodes of the stem when they come into contact with the soil, anchoring the plant and forming new plants. Of course, seeds are also dispersed and germinate far too successfully!

Black-eyed Susan will escape from gardens into bushland and be a huge threat to native vegetation. To keep her under control, gently hand-pull or dig young plants, or spray larger plants.

Good non-invasive native alternatives to Black-eyed Susan are the golden snake vine (Hibbertia scandens) or rich purple native sarsaparilla (Hardenbergia violacea).

The Threatened species Black-eyed Susan