Habitat: bank, clay, coast, dry, grassland, gully, hill, lava, lowland, margin, open, pasture, roadside, sand, shaded, sheltered, shrubland, slope, stone, track, wasteland

Dispersal: Seed, vegetative

Distribution from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium. CC-BY 3.0 AU
Distribution from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium. CC-BY 3.0 AU
 Recognition
  • a rough-textured and usually prickly shrub with oppositely arranged leaves.
  • its dense flower clusters consist of numerous small tubular flowers (9-14 mm long and 4-10 mm across).
  • these flower clusters are borne on stalks originating in the leaf forks.
  • the flowers can be a wide variety of colours (i.e. white, yellow, orange, red, pink or multi-coloured).
  • its mature fruit (5-8 mm across) are glossy in appearance and black, purplish-black or bluish-black in colour.

[From: Environmental Weeds of Australia]

 Images
© Walter Stahel
© Walter Stahel
Image: Trevor James © Trevor James
Image: Trevor James © Trevor James
© Walter Stahel
© Walter Stahel
Weeds Key – interactive key to the weed species of New Zealand
 References
Biosecurity New Zealand 2012: Regional Pest Management Strategies Database. http://www.biosecurityperformance.maf.govt.nz/
Biosecurity New Zealand 2008: National Plant Pest Accord. MAF Biosecurity New Zealand, Wellington.
Connor, H.E. 1977: The Poisonous Plants in New Zealand. Edition 2. Government Printer, Wellington.
Connor, H.E.; Fountain, J. 2009: Plants that Poison: A New Zealand Guide. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln.
Howell, C. 2008: Consolidated list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. DOC Research & Development Series 292: 42.
Ministry for Primary Industries 23 Feb 2017: Unwanted Organisms Register. Version 02.01.02. https://www1.maf.govt.nz/uor
Stewart, J. 1971: Plants in New Zealand Poisonous to Man. New Zealand Department of Health, Wellington.