Learning at Landcare- Pamela Sharp

It's Autumn, we’ve passed the equinox and the days are becoming shorter, cooler and wetter with damp nights and morning dew. On the Awabakal seasonal calendar (seasons.awabakallanguage.org.au) it’s the breeding season for birabaan the Wedge-tailed eagle and owls such as the Powerful owl and the Barking owl. The Noisy miners at my place are acting like it’s their breeding season too!

Madeira Vine and Native Violet- Time of the Vine

There’s a vine that I’ve needed to learn about since moving here and have become good at recognising its heart shaped leaves and climbing habit. 

Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia) also known as Lamb's tail or Potato vine, is an invasive climbing vine with fleshy heart-shaped leaves and aerial tubers. It smothers other vegetation including the canopy of tall trees. It has aerial tubers which are light green or brown, wavy and look a bit like rough knobbly potatoes. The tubers can get quite heavy and cause branches to fall off. In the Hunter region it is considered a priority weed and it is not permitted to sell, buy or plant it.

Madeira Vine has recently flowered on Coal Point. The flowers are mildly fragrant, white or cream star shaped with 5 petals. These flowers cluster on spikes 6 -30 cm long. But it's not the flowers that cause the problem.

At Landcare we carefully remove the vines from the plants they are covering, taking care not to damage the plants, then we even more carefully collect the aerial tubers so that they don’t sprout from the ground. Just as important is coming back and monitoring for sprouting tubers, carefully tracing them back to the shoot and removing them from the site. As a landcarer, this is one weed we can remove to help the bushland recover and thrive.

Land owners can help by removing it from their property. Dog owners need to be aware that it is a plant considered toxic to dogs.

Information on how to control Madeira Vine and the various techniques that can be used.

Removing weeds or reducing their bulk allows the small native plants to see the light of day and thrive without competition.

One local favourite is the Native Violet (Viola hederacea). Lake Macquarie Backyard Habitat Planting guide describes it as adaptable to most soil types and grows in partial sun to full shade. Leaves are bright green and kidney shaped. Flowers appear all year-round and are purple and white, appearing singularly on stems. In bushland they are good frog habitat and grow prolifically to out compete some weeds.

My lovely neighbour gave me a bucketful to plant in my small backyard and they look much prettier than a lawn and I don’t have to mow. As a bonus the flowers are edible with a mild taste that goes well as a garnish for sweet or savory dishes.

Come and join us at Landcare any Thursday morning. There’s lots to learn and plenty to do, it’s great for getting in some social activity, some exercise and helping to care for the land on which we live and play. Send an email to Ros to get on the mailing list for her weekly update.