What does it look like?
Tutsan is a small, perennial, hairless, semi-evergreen shrub to 1.5 m with fibrous roots and no rhizomes. Stems are semi-woody, winged, usually reddish, and often lax. Fragrant stalkless ovalish leaves (35-100 x 25-50 mm) are opposite, usually bluish underneath and usually turn red in autumn. Yellow, 5-petalled flowers (15-25 mm diameter) with long stamens appear from November to February, followed by round red berries (1 cm diameter) that ripen to black and contain cylindrical or curved seeds (9-10 mm long). Spread by birds and possibly possums, and through soil and water movement. Common seed sources include roadsides, farms, waste land, old gardens and cemeteries.
Why is it a problem?
Tutsan produces many, long-lived, well dispersed seed. It tolerates semi-shade, hot or cold temperatures, high to moderate rainfall, damage and grazing (rare).
Invades regenerating sites, forms dense stands, and prevents establishment of native plant seedlings. It’s usually succeeded by taller vegetation but is persistent in shorter habitats.
it’s likely to invade disturbed forest and shrubland, low-growing habitats, tussockland, bare land, and rocklands (usually high rainfall areas).
Control methods
Physical control
Dig out small spots and leave on site to rot down.
Herbicide control
- Cut down and paint stump (spring-summer only) with metsulfuron-methyl 600g/kg (5g/L). Or,
- Spray (November-January) with glyphosate (10ml/L + penetrant) or metsulfuron-methyl 600g/kg (5g/10L) or triclopyr 600 EC (50ml/10L) or triclopyr 120g/L (250ml/10L).
- Plants with seed must be buried deeply, burnt, or disposed of at a refuse transfer station. Follow up at six-monthly intervals to complete eradication. Reseeds onto bared sites. Occasionally resprouts from roots after poor spray kill. Difficult to kill, herbicide timing important. In regenerating tall forest, may be left to natural succession. Replant bared sites densely to minimise seedlings.
- CAUTION: When using any herbicide or pesticide, PLEASE READ THE LABEL THOROUGHLY to ensure that all instructions and safety requirements are followed.
More information
Tutsan is a National Pest Plant Accord species. It is illegal to sell, propagate or distribute Tutsan.
Related links
NPPA and the control of weeds | NZ Government
Management Programme
National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA)
The NPPA is designed to prevent the sale, distribution and propagation of a set list of pest plants (the Accord list) within New Zealand. If allowed to spread further, these pest plants could seriously damage the New Zealand economy and environment.
More informationUnwanted Organism
An unwanted organism is any organism that's capable of causing harm to natural or physical resources (like forests and waterways) or human health. A number of introduced pests in New Zealand are classed as unwanted.
Taxonomies
FamilyClusiaceae
TypePlants
GroupPerennial
HabitatLand
Management ProgrammeNational Pest Plant Accord (NPPA)Unwanted Organism
