Cape tulip - two-leaf (Moraea miniata)

Two-leaf cape tulips have pink flowers and usually have two long leaves. They are poisonous to people and animals.

This plant should not be sold in parts of NSW

Profile

How does this weed affect you?

Two-leaf cape tulips:

can poison people and animals
outcompete native plants
compete with crops
outcompete desirable pasture species, reducing productivity.

Human poisoning

All parts of cape tulips are poisonous to humans and can cause death. Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea and possible paralysis.

What to do if a person is poisoned:

If the patient is unconscious, unresponsive or having difficulty breathing, dial 000 or get to the emergency section of a hospital immediately.
If the patient is conscious and responsive, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 or your doctor.

Livestock poisoning

All parts of the plant, fresh and dry, are toxic to grazing livestock. Poisoning has been observed in cattle, sheep, goats, horses and donkeys. Most recorded deaths have been for cattle. Symptoms of poisoning include:

loss of appetite
diarrhea
weakness
blindness
stiffness or paralysis of the hind legs.

Cape tulips are not very palatable, and livestock often avoid the plants. Most poisoning occurs when livestock, with no previous exposure to the weed, are moved into heavily infested pastures.

What does it look like?

Two-leaf cape tulips grow between 30 and 60 cm high. They are perennial, though the above-ground parts die back in late spring. New shoots grow from corms in the ground and appear after autumn rain when soil temperatures are still high. Leaves develop during winter and flowers are present from late winter to mid spring. New corms begin to develop before flowers appear.

Leaves are:

few, usually only 2 or 3 leaves per plant
20–100 cm long and 5–15 mm wide
flat and ribbed
taller than the flowering stem.

Flowers are:

pink with a green dotted yellow centre
in clusters at the end of branches
3-5 cm in diameter with 6 petals
present August to October.

Fruit are:

seedless, cylindrical capsules
1.5 cm long
green when young and brown when older.

Stems are:

stiff and upright
slightly zig-zagged
branched towards the top, where flowers are formed

Corms are:

white and enclosed in a hard, black coating
1–2.5 cm in diameter
produced at a rate of 1–3 new corms each year, above the old corm

Cormils (bulbils) are:

small corms
2–4 mm long
produced in the leaf axis
brown to grey in colour with a hard, black coating.

Similar looking plants

Two leaf cape tulip looks similar to:

one-leaf Cape tulip (Moraea flaccida), which has a single large leaf. It does not produce cormils but does produce seeds in its fruit. Its flowers are slightly larger and do not have green dots in the centre.
cape tulip (Moraea collina), which is a much smaller plant (only up to 35 cm tall). It also has just one leaf and no cormils. Its seed capsule is up to 4 cm long with a beak.
cape tulip (Moraea ochroleuca), which also has just one leaf and no cormils. Its seed capsule is up to 4 cm long with a beak. It is up to 70 cm tall.

Where is it found?

Two-leaf cape tulips have been found growing in the Hunter, Central West, Riverina and South East regions.

Cape tulips are native to Southern Africa. They were brought to Australia in the 1840s.

What type of environment does it grow in?

Two-leaf cape tulips grow in semi-arid and subtropical shrublands and are common in grazing land in southern Australia. They prefer full sun and areas with less than 600 mm of annual rainfall. They can grow in a wide range of soil types.

Two-leaf cape tulips grow in:

pastures and native grasslands
cropping land
open bushlands
heathlands
dry coastal areas
disturbed sites such as roadsides, tracks, stock routes and fire trails.

Maps and records

Recorded presence of Cape tulip - two-leaf during property inspections (Map: Biosecurity Information System - Weeds, 2017-2026)
These records are made by authorised officers during property inspections under the Biosecurity Act 2015. Officers record the presence of priority weeds in their council area and provide this to the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Records reflect the presence of the weed on the date of inspection.

How does it spread?

Two-leaf cape tulips have been spread by gardeners and grown as an ornamental plant.

By plant parts

The corms and cormils sprout in autumn. There can be up to 200 000 cormils per square metre present in dense infestations. Not all corms sprout each season and up to 60% can stay dormant. Cormils can lay dormant in the soil for up to 8 years.

Corms and cormils can be spread:

in hay
in soil
by agricultural machinery including slashers
by earthmoving equipment.

References

Hawkins C and Lloyd S (2012) Farmnote 491: Cape tulips, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia.

Hawkins C, Kruger E Peirce J and Rayner B (2007) Farmnote 213: Cape tulip control in pastures, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia.

Identic Pty Ltd. and Lucid central. (2016). Environmental Weeds of Australia Fact sheet: Moraea flaccida. Retrieved 19 November 2024 from: https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/moraea_miniata.htm

Muyt, A. (2001). Bush invaders of South-East Australia: a guide to the identification and control of environmental weeds found in South-East Australia. RG and FJ Richardson.

Parsons, W.T., & Cuthbertson, E. G. (2001). Noxious weeds of Australia. CSIRO publishing.

PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System). Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. Retrieved:19 November 2024 from: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Moraea~miniata

Scott J.K. and Morin L. (2012). Moraea flaccid Sweet – one-leaf Cape tulip Moraea miniata Andrews – two-leaf Cape tulip. In Biological Control of Weeds in Australia. (Eds M. Julien, R. McFadyen and J. Cullen) pp 398-403, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

More information

Control

Successful weed control requires follow up after the initial efforts. This means looking for and killing new plants. Only a portion of corms and cormils will sprout each season. Ongoing treatment will be required to reduce and infestation as many of the corms and cormils will remain dormant.

Prevention

Clean equipment, including vehicles and farm machinery before moving out of an infested area.

Request a vendor declaration form when purchasing hay.

Physical removal

By hand

Dig out individual plants, this is easier when the soil is moist. Ensure that all the corms are dug out. Corms are more likely to detach from plants after flowering. Collect the cormils for disposal.

Cultivation

Cultivation to a depth of at least 15 cm kills most plants. This is best done when the old corm has shrivelled and the new corms have not fully developed, usually in June or July. Repeat the cultivation treatment for up to 8 years to kill the dormant corms in the soil.

Disposal

Corms and cormils need to be disposed of so that they cannot grow. Contact your local council for advice on how to dispose of two-leaf cape tulip.

Chemical control

Spraying

Some herbicides are best applied during July and early August. Check the labels for best times.

Herbicide options

WARNING - ALWAYS READ THE LABEL
Users of agricultural or veterinary chemical products must always read the label and any permit, before using the product, and strictly comply with the directions on the label and the conditions of any permit. Users are not absolved from compliance with the directions on the label or the conditions of the permit by reason of any statement made or not made in this information. To view permits or product labels go to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority website www.apvma.gov.au

See Using herbicides for more information.

2,4-D LV ester 680g/L (Estercide® Xtra)
Rate: 1.7–3.3 L/ha
Comments: Boom spray. Spray before flowering.
Withholding period: Do not graze or cut for stock food for 7 days after application.
Herbicide group: 4 (previously group I), Disruptors of plant cell growth (Auxin mimics)
Resistance risk: Moderate

Metsulfuron-methyl 300 g/kg + Aminopyralid 375 g/kg (Various products)
Rate: 10 g/ha and always add a wetter 200 mL per 100 L of water
Comments: For pastures only. Spray at bulb exhaustion, usually during July/early August. Repeat treatments may be required. See label for suitable wetting agents.
Withholding period: Pastures - Grazing for meat production or cutting for animal feed: Do not graze for 56 days after application. See label for further details
Herbicide group: 2 (previously group B), Inhibition of acetolactate and/or acetohydroxyacid synthase (ALS, AHAS inhibitors) + 4 (previously group I), Disruptors of plant cell growth (Auxin mimics)
Resistance risk: High/Moderate

Metsulfuron-methyl 600 g/kg (Various products)
Rate: 5 g/ha
Comments: Spray at bulb exhaustion, usually during July/early August. Repeat treatments may be required.
Withholding period: Nil (recommended not to graze for 7 days before treatment and for 7 days after treatment to allow adequate chemical uptake in target weeds).
Herbicide group: 2 (previously group B), Inhibition of acetolactate and/or acetohydroxyacid synthase (ALS, AHAS inhibitors)
Resistance risk: High

Biosecurity duty

The content provided here is for information purposes only and is taken from the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 and its subordinate legislation, and the Regional Strategic Weed Management Plans (published by each Local Land Services region in NSW). It describes the state and regional priorities for weeds in New South Wales, Australia.

Area	Duty
All of NSW	General Biosecurity Duty All pest plants are regulated with a general biosecurity duty to prevent, eliminate or minimise any biosecurity risk they may pose. Any person who deals with any plant, who knows (or ought to know) of any biosecurity risk, has a duty to ensure the risk is prevented, eliminated or minimised, so far as is reasonably practicable.
North West	Regional Recommended Measure * (for Regional Priority - Prevention) Land managers should mitigate the risk of the plant being introduced to their land. Land managers should eradicate the plant from the land and keep the land free of the plant. A person should not deal with the plant, where dealings include but are not limited to buying, selling, growing, moving, carrying or releasing the plant. Notify local control authority if found.
	*To see the Regional Strategic Weeds Management Plans containing demonstrated outcomes that fulfil the general biosecurity duty for this weed click here

For technical advice and assistance with identification please contact your local council weeds officer.

Reviewed 2025