Fireweed Alert

Fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis) Family Asteraceae


Fireweed was found in the ACT in September and had been found beside the Captains Flat Road in Carwoola in NSW last year. Previously, it was believed that winter frosts would limit its spread on the tablelands, but experiences in Snowy and Cooma-Monaro Shires indicate that this is not the case. Fireweed normally occurs along the South Coast and north of Goulburn. It is highly invasive and toxic to horses.


Description: Fireweed is a low branching annual herb with leaves 2-6 cm long, occasionally 8-10 cm on older, vigorous plants. Bright green, thin, slightly fleshy, toothed or smooth- edged, hairless, alternate on stem. Seeds are very fine, ‘dandelion’-like seed heads. Usually seeds during spring. The flowers are 13-petalled yellow daisy flowers held on slender stems in branched terminal open clusters from April to September. Before opening, the flowers are enclosed by a single row of about 21 green bracts (a ring or crowd of modified leaves, usually smaller than a true leaf) which have a darkened tip; the number of bracts distinguish it from native Senecio species. The bracts are easiest to count just before the flower opens out to reveal the ‘petals’, when the bract tips are all clustered at the top of the ‘bud’, or after the seed has been shed when the bracts remain behind.


If you think you have spotted this weed, please contact:


In the ACT: Canberra Connect on 13 22 81


In Queanbeyan City Council area: phone 6298 0101 or email weedsofficers@qcc.nsw.gov.au


In Palerang Council area: phone 6238 8111 or email records@palerang.nsw.gov.au


Further Information: www.weeds.org.au


Download Fireweed Factsheet from the Molonglo Catchment Weed Information Pack ( 364KB PDF)