Tipuana

Greg says...
Hi Peter, we havn't propagated Tipuana in the last couple of years since it is being reported as a weed in some regions. I will take it off our stock list as there are other worthwhile shade trees available.

Melanie says...
Our garden is overtaken by Tipuana Tipu and I can't seem to get them extinguished I'm talking about 100+ and Ican't seem to get rid of them-what can I use-I'm alone and do have a couple of big one's and can pull the "young one's out myself and new spring up from tge roots

Mitch says...
I'm not really one for using chemicals but Garlon 600 is the best Herbicide for killing woody plants! and its compatable with a large range of chemicals including roundup. As Amanda has stated drilling is a good way to apply or scraping the bark and paint it on with a paint brush. Hope this helps. M

Diana says...
Hi Leros,

You have the same sorts of legislation too- just for plants that are invasive where you are (e.g. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/633) Some of your noxious plants are Australian. We have paperbarks in our parks and gardens with no problems.

Diana.

Rev says...
The threat from so called invasive weeds is way overblown

Tipuana are great trees.
Just becays ethey are thriving is absolutely no evidence that they are harming the natural ecology in anyway

Local ecologies can and do absorb many new species and are constantly doing so

And im not talking out of my bum either, ive been researching this so called invasion biology for some time.
It clear its mostly ideological claptrap and in most cases no attempt is ever made to empirically support claims of harm

Invasions with few exceptions tend to increase habitat and regional biodiversity and not decrease it

rev says...
yes its a hodge podge of ideas thats a real mess

Agricultural weed is fairly straightforward - it interferes with human activities in an economic way.
This can be exotics, it can be natives, it can even be crop plants eg canola in a wheat crop

its very honest and doesnt require any jutification over whats good or bad, wrong or right

From there it gets messier

people would call blackberries a weed in the SW of WA - the endangered quokka wouldnt - its only because of the thickets that keep foxes away that any populations survive on the mainland. insects, bees and butterflies love them too

same with lantana. So many native animals rely on it, it protects soil, enriches it and shelters rainforest seedlings from cattle and kangaroos.
It does clog up Tall open forest, but guess what -turns out tall open forest is probably a human invention anyway, and ecosystem that evolved due to aboriginal burning practices

so is that natural? what does natural mean anyway

theres a policy of control of coconuts up here, as they are considered non-native.
But they are native
not only were they growing on fraser island when europeans arrived
but digby (1995) described cocos nucifera from fossilized remaisn dating 2 million years old from chinchilla in queensland. Not long after the formation of permanent ice on thsi planet about 2.4-2.8 mya.
at that time there were crocodiles and vegetation in chinchilla not unlike north qld today.

im just finishing up an essay entitles aquatic weed: scourge or scapegoat?, fully referenced. Ive been reading paper after paper and i can tell you that there is not a consensus on new species causing harm.
In fact most evidence suggest that except for special environments like oceanic islands, desert springs and some others, that so called invasive species tend to increase biodiversity on a regional scale.
Ecosystems are not static or saturated and have plenty of capacity to absorb new species.
Much of the so called evidence linking invasive species to extinction is anecdotal,speculative or from limited observations

even things that seem clear cut, are turning out not to be

cats and foxes ate all the wildlife? yes, but why? likely answer - we shot the dingos and wedgetails which will kill and eat foxes and cats. theres a phenomenon called mesopredator release. google it
the fox and cat outbreak in tassie is closley following the devil die off
same thing may be ocurring in the ocean now weve killed all the big sharks
its a top down regulation that may be counter intuitive at first, but its how nature stays at peak abundance

weeds are responding in their own ways. but plants move at their own speed
govt brochures say willows are weeds that degrade streams and water quiality and reduce habitat. Actual studies how they hold banks together, are highly palatable to aquatic invertebrates, do not foul water and are superior habitat for invertebrates
And they are responding to the altered hydrology - ie permanent mositure caused by flow regulation, the same regulation that drowns redgums

i could go on forever..almost:) anyway if we want ecologies like existed when europeans arrived then we have to manage the land the same way, because all nature is doing now is repsonding to the way the games rules have been changed.
nature doesnt care about our prejudices.

if youll read all this you get a gold star :)

amanda says...
PS Rev....been thinking about your post lots! I thought Homo sapiens was the most invasive species of all, anyway? Looking at the big picture - what's a few tipuanas added to the mix, really...

Sometimes I think "a" habitat is better than "no" habitat.

PS do I get a gold star now? :)

(I guess what I am trying to say is that it's human activity that may actually be forcing the changes...maybe it's a case of nature evolving and adapting to us....if so - then waht a remarkably flexible and adaptable system that is....?)

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Peter says...
Where do I get seed and how do I grow this tree?

Peter says...
Thanks Amanda.

I found a tree with seed pods. When do you pick the seeds? Is it best to plant them strsight into the ground or into pots? Do they need a lot of water/fertilizer initially? Bunnings do have some in 5L pots but I would prefer to grow from seed. Your block looks much greener than mine. Not enough green stuff here to attract rabbits.

403 says...
My neighbour has a really big tipuana in his yard. I am forever pulling out tiny tipuanas and if i leave them they turn into big ones that you have to dig up to stop sprouting. Also I think his tree is why all the surrounding neighbours now have large tipanas growing very well in their yards too. I guess these will all turn into really big trees like his and produce thousands of flying seeds to infect their other neighbours as well. It is definitely a pest!

403 says...
They are not like you described. I have attached a picture. The seed pods are helicopter ones. A pod with one wing basically. They are very light and travel well in the breeze on top of the hill I live on. The tree gets small yellow flowers in summer followed by a gazillion seed pods. They do seem very easy to pull out but if you miss one they are very fast growing. Without poison I have had to hammer an upturned can over the base to stop them sprouting a couple of times! It just requires ongoing weeding so they dont take over!