What does it look like?
This plant is an evergreen shrub or small tree that grows up to about eight metres tall. Its branches are covered in fine reddish hairs, and it has long, leathery leaves that are dark green, shiny and aromatic. The leaves taper towards the base, with edges that roll under and become lightly toothed near the rounded tip.
Flowers grow on short, branched stems among the new season’s growth. Male flowers appear in small, hanging clusters near the ends of branches, while female flowers hang in small clusters slightly further back along the branch.
The fruit is red-black, slightly fleshy and has a warty surface. Seeds are spread when birds and other animals eat the fruit and carry it to new areas.
Why is it a problem?
This plant can invade young regenerating forests and shrublands. It changes the soil by adding nitrogen, which makes conditions more suitable for other weeds to establish. As it grows, it forms a dense canopy that blocks sunlight, leaving very little growing underneath and stopping new trees from regenerating.
It can grow in partial shade and tolerate a wide range of soil types, including poor soils, because it fixes nitrogen. It’s wind pollinated and produces large numbers of seeds each year, which can remain viable in the soil for a long time.
The species is not yet naturalised on mainland New Zealand.
Control methods
- Pull out seedlings and small plants (all year round).
- Cut down near ground level (all year round).
- Drill and inject with glyphosate (undiluted) or 5-10ml of a product containing 100g picloram+300g triclopyr/L (undiluted).
CAUTION: When using any herbicide or pesticide, PLEASE READ THE LABEL THOROUGHLY to ensure that all instructions and directions for the purchase, use and storage of the product, are followed and adhered to.
More information
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand.
Related links
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 informationNotifiable Organism
Some organisms must be notified to MPI if they're spotted in New Zealand. These include serious pests and diseases like foot-and-mouth disease, the rabies virus, fruit fly and disease-carrying mosquitoes. If a notifiable organism established in New Zealand, it could severely affect our primary production or trade and market access. If you spot a notifiable organism, you have a legal obligation under section 44 of the Biosecurity Act 1993 to tell MPI. Call the pests-and-diseases hotline on 0800 80 99 66.
The Biosecurity (Notifiable Organisms) Order 2016 lists notifiable organisms. New additions can be made by the Governor-General and MPI periodically reviews the list to ensure it is up-to-date.
Unwanted 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
FamilyMyricaceae
TypePlants
GroupShrub
HabitatLand
Management ProgrammeNational Pest Plant Accord (NPPA)Notifiable OrganismUnwanted Organism
