Parkinsonia (Parkinsonia aculeata) is a thorny shrub or
small tree which thrives on a range of soil types in the semi-arid
to arid sub-humid tropics and sub-tropics, particularly in regions
with a distinct wet and dry season. Parkinsonia is a native of the
southern United States, the Caribbean, Mexico and northern South
America. It was introduced to Australia as a shade and ornamental
shrub in the late 19th century.
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Parkinsonia: regarded as one of the most
troublesome weeds in the NT
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This spiny plant spreads by seed, often forms thickets along
watercourses. Today, it is a major weed and infests large areas of
Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland, amounting to
more than 800,000 hectares, primarily along waterways.
Management
Biological control programs are already under way and there is
little more that can be done about its broad-scale control. In some
areas of North East Queensland, graziers are using camels to
control Parkinsonia, see Savanna Links article below.
To see a list of research findings on Parkinsonia click here .
Articles
15th Australian Weeds Conference
Weeds rampant: from hungry geese to scorching fires THE main reasons for the global weed explosion are global trade the atmospheric increase in CO 2 human interference in the nitrogen cycle and climate change—says US scientist… [
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Camels take on Parkinsonia
Use of camels on a cattle property to reduce the weed Parkinsonia -- north-east Queensland [
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