ORIGIN

South America. Northern Andes

COMMON NAME

Nasturtium (garden nasturtium)

BOTANICAL NAME

Tropaeolum majus

IDENTIFICATION

Hairless aromatic annual or short-lived perennial with long trailing succulent stems. Leaves round to 210 mm in diameter. Flowers Oct-May, conspicuous large yellow-reddish, open tubular flowers.

HABITATS

Commonly cultivated. Warmer lowland areas, especially coastal. Wayside and waste places especially moist, shady situations, also riverbanks and waterways in built up areas. Garden escape locally common, especially near towns.

IMPACT TO BIOTA AND ECOSYSTEMS

Can form dense cover restricting native vegetation. Plants growing on streamsides and riverbanks are the most heavily impacted species.

DISPERSAL ROUTES, VECTORS, INFESTATION SOURCES

Seed. Cultivation escape dumping of garden waste.

MANAGEMENT

Physical Control
Easily hand pulled.

Disposal
Compost. A finely chopped mulch might not resprout.

Chemical Control
Spray with Glyphosate + Penetrant if more appropriate than hand pulling.

Rate - Handgun 1 litre Glyphosate + 200 mls Penetrant/100 litres water. Knapsack 100 mls Glyphosate + 20 mls Penetrant/10 litres water.

Biological Control

Recommended Approach
Hand pull wherever possible. Spray larger infestations.

FURTHER COMMENT