Weed overstays its welcome
Old Man’s Beard is a visitor to New Zealand that’s definitely over stayed its welcome.
Introduced from Europe as a decorative garden plant, Old Man’s Beard is a classic ‘‘garden escaper’’ that creates problems for native species.
This aggressive climbing vine wrecks havoc in the bush, smothering and toppling trees, blocking out light and stopping the regeneration of plants below.
Old Man’s Beard also seeds prolifically.
The vine has small greenishwhite flowers from summer to autumn. There are several key ways to identify it from native clematis.
Old Man’s Beard has five leaflets per stem, natives usually have three. It has ribbed stems as opposed to smooth.
Natives are evergreen but ‘‘the old man’’ loses his leaves in winter.
When it comes to tackling this pest plant, remember the ads: ‘‘Old Man’s Beard must go. A trim is not enough!’’
Cut the main stems as close to the ground as possible. Paint the stumps with herbicide. Leave cut hanging vines in the tree until they die before pulling out – that will ensure less chance of resprouting or damage to the tree beneath.
Small seedlings can be pulled out by hand. Check each spring for regrowth and new seedlings.
The biosecurity team at Waikato Regional Council needs to know where this nasty pest is so if you see this weed on your property call 0800 BIOSEC (0800 246 732) to report them to your local biosecurity pest plant officer.