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NQ DRY TROPICS WEED FREE
PARKINSONIA
Parkinsonia aculeata
PARKINSONIA TREES
DESCRIPTION
This perennial tree grows up to 10 metres and is hairless and thorny . Younger branches are bright green , thin , and zigzagged . Leaves have a short , spine-tipped stalk and are green and flattened . The leaf branches are 20 to 40 centimetres long with tiny oblong leaflets in rows along each side . Leaves are arranged alternately along the stem . Flowers are yellow , fragrant with 5 petals ; found along stalks . It flowers during spring and summer . Seeds are found in pencil-like pods that are green to brown , 5 to 10 centimetres long with small constrictions between the oval seeds . Habitat it is found along watercourses , creek banks , floodplains or in gardens . It has a moderate tolerance to salt , and often grows in coastal areas near salt flats and mangroves . It can adapt to a wide range of soil types and flooded country is particularly susceptible to hot fires . Weed characteristics are fast growing and form dense , often impenetrable , thorny thickets . It can restrict stock access to drinking water and makes mustering impossible . It provides a harbour for feral pigs . Dispersal seeds have a thick and extremely hard coat and so remain viable for many years .
BIOSECURITY MATTER
Restricted . This species is Category 3 Restricted matter under Queensland Legislation .
HOW TO ACT
Mechanical control is most cost effective for initial removal of dense infestations . Windrowing and burning to remove the debris will allow for regeneration of natural vegetation . Parkinsonia is sensitive to hot fires , particularly seedlings and surface seed . Cut stump or basal barking is effective for isolated established plants . Young plants can be physically removed . Foliar spraying is effective when plant is actively growing . Control should be carried out prior to seed set with follow up monitoring and control of emergent growth important .