Macquarie Valley W.C. & Lachlan Valley W.A.C.

Cape broom

Botanical Name:

Genista monspessulana

Other Common Names:

Montpellier broom

Declarations

Class	Regions
Class 2	Cootamundra Shire Council,Cowra Council,Mid-Western Regional Council,Upper Macquarie County Council
Class 4	Wellington

Landholder Responsibilities:

Class 2 - The plant must be eradicated from the land and the land must be kept free of the plant. Class 4 - The growth of the plant must be managed in a manner that reduces its numbers spread and incidence and continuously inhibits its reproduction and the plant must not be sold propagated or knowingly distributed

Why Is It Bad?:

Cape broom is weedy especially in temperate areas such as the tablelands. It has a long-lived soil seed bank which will germinate significantly after disturbance. It is often a weed of natural environments and wastelands but can also affect agricultural lands. It can form dense infestations if not controlled before seed set. Ripe seed pods pop open in hot weather, dispersing seeds several metres.

Identification

Habit:

Shrub

Leaves:

Leaf consists of 3 leaflets which are slightly hairy on both sides, but more so the underside.

Flowers:

Flowers are yellow, pea-like, 8-12mm long.

Fruit:

Seed pods are light green, maturing to brown/black, hairy and pea-like. Each pod contains 3-8 seeds. Seeds are brown/black, smooth, rounded, 3mm long.

Roots:

A crown grows below the soil surface, regrowth will occur from here easily.

Control Methods

Manual Removal:

Entire plants need to be removed, including the crown from below the soil surface. Failure to remove the crown will result in significant regrowth. Any material removed needs to be disposed of responsibly. Integrated weed management is recommended for successful control.

Chemical Use:

Herbicides are often used for foliar spray or cut-stump methods. Please refer to the Noxious & Environmental Weed Control Handbook or your friendly local weeds officer for more information. Integrated weed management is recommended for successful control.

Fire:

Can be used to stimulate germinations to exhaust soil seed bank but must be followed up to ensure seedling growth is destroyed before flowering. Fire is NOT recommended as a primary control technique for established plants. They will burn dangerously hot and often this will not kill established plants. Regrowth will occur from the crown which is protected in the soil. Integrated weed management is recommended for successful control.

Slashing & Cutting:

Biological Control:

Grazing:

Goats will eat adult plants while sheep prefer to graze seedlings. Integrated weed management is recommended for successful control.

Cultivation & Scalping:

Smothering:

Solarisation:

Competition:

Integrated weed management is recommended for successful control. Establishing a competitive pasture can be used to help prevent mass germinations from establishing.

Monitoring:

Successful treatment programs rely on ongoing monitoring of sites. Regrowth and new seedlings can easily become larger infestations if follow-up treatments are not part of the management program.

Macquarie Valley Weeds Committee & Lachlan Valley Weeds Advisory Committee

Cape broom

Declarations

Identification

Control Methods

Images