Beauty, but a beast
Seen in gardens of an apartment complex in Sydney. There were around 18 trees all in the one area.
This is Chinese tallow, also known as candleberry tree.
Unfortunately, Chinese tallow has escaped cultivation to form dense thickets on roadsides, creek banks, pasture boundaries and bushland.
It is fast-growing, extremely hardy and I learned that it is able to alter the chemical composition of the surrounding soil and waterways which is harmful to both native flora and fauna. It holds Priority Weed status here in NSW, especially on the North coast.
Spread is primarily through seeds dispersed by birds.
The appeal of beautiful autumn/winter foliage is great, but do developers and landscape architects not research environmental weed risks before planting?
© All rights reserved.
Beauty, but a beast
Seen in gardens of an apartment complex in Sydney. There were around 18 trees all in the one area.
This is Chinese tallow, also known as candleberry tree.
Unfortunately, Chinese tallow has escaped cultivation to form dense thickets on roadsides, creek banks, pasture boundaries and bushland.
It is fast-growing, extremely hardy and I learned that it is able to alter the chemical composition of the surrounding soil and waterways which is harmful to both native flora and fauna. It holds Priority Weed status here in NSW, especially on the North coast.
Spread is primarily through seeds dispersed by birds.
The appeal of beautiful autumn/winter foliage is great, but do developers and landscape architects not research environmental weed risks before planting?
© All rights reserved.