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Salvinia
Botanical name: Salvinia molesta
Noxious Weed Category: Class 2
Aquatic Weed Regional Management Plan
Photo: Ku-ring-gai Council
Description
Originating from South America, Salvinia is a rapidly growing free floating, mat forming aquatic fern with trailing "roots". It is capable of totally covering still or slowly moving waterways.
Salvinia produces no seeds, it reproduces from broken pieces of stem, with infestations capable of doubling in size every 3-5 days. The fronds or "leaves" are oval and flat in small isolated plants, or heart-shaped or oblong and deeply keeled when crowded.
Dispersal
Reproduces vegetatively and is spread by dumping, animals, water movement, wind, boats and flooding.
Impact on bushland
Its presence significantly reduces waterway values. Salvinia drifts on the surface, forming dense mats which cut off llight and oxygen to pond dwellers below, eventually changing the pond ecosystem.
Control
Manual: Small infestations are easy to harvest by hand.
See Manual Weed Control Techniques.
Chemical: Please contact your local control authority for advice on chemical control.