Bridal veil creeper is a fern-like scrambler or low climber with light green, bluish-grey or whitish berries. It quickly outcompetes other plants and could degrade bushland in parts of coastal NSW.
This weed belongs to the group Asparagus weeds
This plant is a Weed of National Significance
This plant must not be sold anywhere in NSW
Bridal veil creeper can grow very densely at ground and shrub level. It also forms thick tuberous root mats. It is highly invasive and:
Bridal veil creeper is a scrambler or low climber up to 3 m tall. The above ground parts of the plant wither and die back in warm weather, usually in late spring. Although some plants retain foliage all year in cool moist conditions. The roots survive over summer and new shoots appear in autumn.
Asparagus plants have modified stems called cladodes that look like leaves. The cladodes are:
There are many other asparagus weeds in NSW. The most similar looking species to bridal veil creeper include:
Bridal veil creeper is not currently known to occur in NSW. It is present in south-west Western Australia, South Australia and western Victoria.
Bridal veil creeper is native to South Africa. It was introduced into Australia in 1870 as an ornamental plant and naturalised by 1954.
Bridal veil creeper is a potential weed of roadsides, urban bushland, coastal habitats, the banks of waterways, waste areas, rocky outcrops, open woodlands, closed forests and plantations.
It is suited to the climate of most of southern coastal Australia and can tolerate cold winters and frost. It can grow in a variety of soil types, including sandy soils. It grows well in both shade and full sun. Livestock eat bridal veil creeper so it is rarely found in pastures.
Under favourable conditions with high rainfall, bridal veil creeper can produce up to 4800 seeds per m2 per year. Both mature and immature fruit contain viable seed. It is not known how long bridal veil creeper seeds can stay viable.
Animals, including birds, possums, foxes, rodents and lizards, eat the fruit and disperse the seed. Birds can spread the seed up to 10 km away from the parent plant. Seed can also spread in water and garden waste, or via earthmoving equipment.
Plants can re-shoot from the rhizomes or fragments of the rhizomes. Rhizomes are mostly spread by dumped garden waste and on earthmoving equipment. The tubers store nutrients but cannot form new plants on their own.
Australian Government (n.d.) Weeds in Australia: Asparagus declinatus. Retrieved 27 February 2020 from: http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weeddetails.pl?taxon_id=66908
Invasive Species Compendium. (2014). Asparagus declinatus. Retrieved 20 August 2020 from: http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/112476
Lawrie S (2004) Biology, Ecology and Dispersal Vectors of Bridal Veil (Asparagus declinatus). School of Geography, Population and Environmental Management, Flinders University and Asparagus Weeds Working Group - Southern Hills Region, Adelaide, South Australia. Retrieved from: http://www.weeds.org.au/WoNS/bridalcreeper/docs/SLawrie_BridalVeilPresweb.pdf
Lawrie, S. (2006). Bridal Veil. In National Asparagus Weeds Management Committee, Asparagus Weeds - Best Practice Management Manual. Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, South Australia. Retrieved from http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/publications/guidelines/manuals/asparagus-weeds-manual.html
Obermeyer, A. A. (1984). Revision of the genus Myrsiphyllum Willd. Bothalia, 15(1/2), 77-88.
Office of Environment and Heritage (2013) Asparagus weeds management manual: current management and control options for asparagus weeds (Asparagus spp.) in Australia. Office of Environment and Heritage (NSW).
Please do not attempt to treat or dispose of this weed yourself. Report this plant if you see it anywhere in NSW by calling the helpline listed at the top of this page immediately.
NSW DPI will lead an initial response for the treatment and disposal of the plant to stop it from spreading.
Bridal veil creeper seedlings or small plants can be hand pulled in small to medium sized infestations. Plants can be dug out, but the entire root system needs to be removed.
Physical removal can be difficult, due to the way in which its root system can spread beneath the roots of nearby vegetation as well as other objects such as rocks, logs and other structures.
Herbicide applications are recommended for medium to large infestations, but can also be used for small infestations.
For best results, use a foliar spray during the winter to early spring flowering period when plants are actively growing.
Foliage often mingles with desirable vegetation, making off-target damage from foliar spraying problematic. The foliage also provides little surface area for chemical uptake.
See Using herbicides for more information.
PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2025
Glyphosate 360 g/L
(Various products)
Rate: 1 part glyphosate to 50 parts water
Comments: Spot spray application
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 9 (previously group M), Inhibition of 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3 phosphate synthase (EPSP inhibition)
Resistance risk: Moderate
PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2025
Glyphosate 360 g/L
(Various products)
Rate: 1 part glyphosate to 1.5 parts water
Comments: Cut stump / scrape stem application
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 9 (previously group M), Inhibition of 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3 phosphate synthase (EPSP inhibition)
Resistance risk: Moderate
PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2025
Metsulfuron-methyl 600 g/kg
(Various products)
Rate: 1 - 2 g in 10 L of water plus a non-ionic surfactant
Comments: Spot spray application
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
Picloram 44.7 g/L + Aminopyralid 4.47 g/L
(Vigilant II ®)
Rate: Undiluted
Comments: Cut stump / stem injection application
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 4 (previously group I), Disruptors of plant cell growth (Auxin mimics)
Resistance risk: Moderate
The content provided here is for information purposes only and is taken from the 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. |
All of NSW |
Prohibited Matter
A person who deals with prohibited matter or a carrier of prohibited matter is guilty of an offence. A person who becomes aware of or suspects the presence of prohibited matter must immediately notify the Department of Primary Industries |
Reviewed 2023