Devil's claw - yellow-flowered (Ibicella lutea)

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Yellow-flowered devil’s claw is an annual plant that produces seed capsules with ‘claws’ that attach to animals and equipment. It competes with summer crops and can injure or kill livestock.

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How does this weed affect you?

Yellow-flowered devil’s claw is an agricultural weed that:

competes with summer crops, especially in warmer irrigated areas
is not eaten by stock and reduce pasture productivity.

The seed capsules have two long curved claws on the end, and the capsule is covered in short spines. The capsules stick to livestock causing:

restricted feeding when stuck to animals faces eventually causing starvation
lameness when attached to hooves
reduced wool quality when caught in fleeces
damage the combs of wool shears.

What does it look like?

Yellow-flowered devil’s claw grows to 30 cm tall and spreads to 1.0 m wide. Plants are covered in sticky hairs.

They usually grow as isolated plants or in small clusters.

Leaves are:

medium to dark green
7–12 cm long and 7–19 cm wide
round or kidney-shaped with toothed edges
hairy, the lower side hairier than the upper side
on stalks about 10–15cm long
opposite or alternate along the stem.

Flowers are:

yellow with red or purple spots inside
5–7.5 cm in diameter
trumpet-shaped with rounded lobes
in dense erect clusters 16-30 cm long.

Fruit:

are woody capsules
have a spiny oval body (5–15 cm long and 2–3 cm wide)
have curved claws (5-12 cm long) with hooks on the tip
are light brown
split into two when mature and dry.

Seeds are:

black or grey
about 10 mm long and 6 mm wide
wrinkled.

Stems are:

branched
hollow
covered with sticky hairs.

Roots

Yellow flowered devil’s claw does not have a taproot.

Similar looking plants

Yellow-flowered devil’s claw looks like

purple-flowered devil's claw (Proboscidea louisianica). They have different coloured flowers, and the seed capsule (claws) are shorter.
some varieties of pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo), which have lobed leaves (3-5 lobes), yellow flowers and the pumpkin fruit look very different.

Where is it found?

Yellow flowered devil's claw grows in temperate and tropical climates. It prefers fertile soils.

How does it spread?

Plants can produce up to 200 pods that contain up to 110 seeds each. The seed capsules attach to animals, particularly sheep.

References

Bryson, C. T., Koger, C. H., & Byrd Jr, J. D. BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY OF YELLOW UNICORN-PLANT (IBICELLA LUTEA). Retrieved 4 March 2021 from: https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/64022000/Posters/2004/2004_SWSS_CTB.pdf

Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (2011). Weeds in Australia. Ibicella lutea. Australian Government. Retrieved 31 March 2020 from: https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weeddetails.pl?taxon_id=14683#.

Parsons, W. T., & Cuthbertson, E. G. (2001). Noxious weeds of Australia. (2nd Edition). CSIRO publishing.

PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System). Ibicella lutea. Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. Retrieved from 23 March 2020 from: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Ibicella~lutea

Richardson, F.J., Richardson R.G. & Shepherd, R.C.H. (2011) Weeds of the South-East: An Identification Guide. 2nd Edition. R.G. & F.J. Richardson Meridith Vic.

More information

Control

Successful weed control relies on follow up after the initial efforts. This means looking for and killing regrowth or new seedlings. Using a combination of control methods is usually more successful.

To manage yellow-flowered devil’s claw:

treat plants before flowering if possible
manual control before flowering is effective as roots will not regrow
burn plants that are removed after flowering.

Physical removal

By hand

When: Before flowers appear, if possible.

Hand-pulling and hoeing are effective if done before flowering, because roots that are left in the ground do not regrow.

Cultivation

When: Before flowers appear.

Cultivation usually kills young plants.

Disposal

Burn any plants removed after flowering to prevent seed development. Contact your local council for alternative control methods.

Chemical control

Spray when the plant is actively growing before the pods form.

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 ester 680 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 1.15 to 1.7 L per ha
Comments: Boom spray application, before pods form. For non-legume pastures.
Withholding period: 7 days withholding for grazing.
Herbicide group: 4 (previously group I), Disruptors of plant cell growth (Auxin mimics)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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.

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

Reviewed 2024