An annual herb to 30 cm with star shaped hairs, 4 lilac petalled, 1 cm wide flowers and long narrow pods on very short stalks held away from the stem.
Description:
Cotyledons:
Two. Elongated oval to diamond shaped. Tip pointed. Edges smooth. Base tapered. Hairless. Petiole shorter than the blade.
First leaves:
Diamond to oval shaped. Tip pointed. Edges with tiny teeth. Base tapered. Sparse star shaped hairs. Edges of the third and later leaves usually lobed.
Leaves:
Stipules -
Petiole - Yes. Shorter on upper leaves. Hairy.
Blade - Edges narrowly lobed or toothed from the third leaf on. Surface rough to touch. Base tapered. Tip pointed to round pointed. Tiny star shaped hairs.
Stem leaves - Oval, usually toothed rather than lobed. Petiole becomes progressively shorter up the stem.
Stems:
Flower stem - Up to 300 mm tall, sparsely branched. Sparse star like hairs.
Flower head:
Flowers alternate up the branches. In rows.
Flowers:
4 lilac petals. Stalked. 10 mm diameter
Ovary -
Sepals -
Petals - 4. Lilac.
Stamens -
Anthers -
Fruit:
Narrow pod, 30-60 mm long with two tiny horns at the tip. Held away from the stem.
Seeds:
Brown, dull, cylindrical, 1 mm long, 0.5 mm wide. Tip rounded. Edges smooth. Base indented. Stripe down one side.
Roots:
Taproot.
Key Characters:
Biology:
Life cycle:
Annual herb.
Physiology:
Reproduction:
Flowering times:
Seed Biology and Germination:
Vegetative Propagules:
Hybrids:
Allelopathy:
Population Dynamics and Dispersal:
Origin and History:
Europe, North Africa, South West Asia.
Distribution:
SA.
Habitats:
Climate:
Soil:
Plant Associations:
Significance:
Beneficial:
Detrimental:
Weed of crops, pasture and disturbed areas.
Toxicity:
Symptoms:
Treatment:
Legislation:
Management and Control:
As for Wild Radish.
Thresholds:
Eradication strategies:
Most of the Brassicaceae weeds have dormant seeds that continue to germinate throughout the season and for several years. They often mature and set seed very quickly. Manual removal is effective but must be done at least every 8-10 weeks. Once pods are formed, seed will often mature even if the plant has been uprooted. Soil disturbance often leads to a flush of seedlings.
Many are somewhat unpalatable, so grazing only offers partial control. They often flourish in undergrazed, sunny areas.
In bushland situations, fairly selective control can be achieved with 100 mL spray oil plus 0.1 g Eclipse® or 0.5 g Logran® in 10 L water. 5 mL Brodal® is often added to this mix to provide residual control of seedlings. Spray the plants until just wet from the seedling stage up to pod formation.
Isolated plants should be removed manually and burnt if flowering or seeding and a 10 m buffer area sprayed with 10 mL Brodal® in 10 L water.
500 mL/ha of glyphosate(450g/L) can be used at flowering to reduce the seed set of most species on roadsides without causing significant damage to most native plants.
Wick application with 1 part glyphosate(450g/L) in 2 parts water or overall spraying with 100 mL glyphosate(450g/L) in 10 L water provides reasonable control of most species though Wild Radish tends to regrow.
Herbicide resistance:
None reported.
Biological Control:
Related plants:
Radish, Turnip and Mustard
Plants of similar appearance:
References:
Bodkin, F. (1986). Encyclopaedia Botanica. (Angus and Robertson, Australia).
Everist, S.L. (1974). Poisonous Plants of Australia. (Angus and Robertson, Sydney).
Lazarides, M. and Cowley, K. and Hohnen, P. (1997). CSIRO handbook of Australian Weeds. (CSIRO, Melbourne). #624.1.
Moerkerk, M.R. and Barnett, A.G. (1998). More Crop Weeds. R.G. and F.J. Richardson, Melbourne. P70. Diagrams. Photos.
Acknowledgments:
Collated by HerbiGuide. Phone 08 98444064 or www.herbiguide.com.au for more information.