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Council Biosecurity Officer Ken Massey with the aggressive growing pest plant Lantana.
Northland Regional Council experts say over the past few years major progress has been made removing Lantana camara from Whangarei, as well as other parts of Northland where only garden plantings or occasional wild plants existed.
Council Biosecurity Officer Ken Massey says birds are the main way lantana’s abundant seed spreads to Northland’s reserve areas and roadsides, as well as poorly-grazed open pasture land.
“In a bid to remove potential seed sources, Biosecurity Officers are keen to help destroy as many lantana plants as possible from parts of Northland that are currently home to only occasional specimens.”
Mr Massey says recent survey and control work has been carried in the “far Far North” and Biosecurity staff are particularly interested in locating and removing any sites in, or north of, Te Kao.
Mr Massey says Lantana camara is unwanted because of its poisonous, prickly characteristics and ability to grow to three-metre high dense stands that exclude virtually all other plants.
Lantana camara is an aromatic prickly woody shrub, with most wild stands having mixed yellow and pink flowers. However, infestations of a mixed orange and red flowered variety exist and are equally vigourous.
Mr Massey says varieties of lantana have been grown in northern New Zealand as garden ornamentals since the 1850s. He says the plant is a major problem overseas and has the potential to cause high economic and environmental costs in Northland too. Lantana camara has been banned from sale and distribution for about 10 years.
While the Council is now targeting more isolated infestations, it is encouraging Northland landowners to control infestations themselves in areas where lantana is more common “both for their own benefit and the wider environmental good”.
“Effort should be concentrated on outlying patches initially, with follow-up treatments to ensure complete control,” Mr Massey says.
He urges Northlanders with any vigorously growing, weedy plants in their garden to have them identified and seek information on possible control methods.
People keen to have plants identified should contact Mr Massey or other Council Biosecurity Officers on the Council’s freephone number (0800) 002 004.