Invasiveness Assessment - Stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens) in Victoria (Nox)
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Plant invasiveness is determined by evaluating a plant’s biological and ecological characteristics against criteria that encompass establishment requirements, growth rate and competitive ability, methods of reproduction, and dispersal mechanisms.
| Each characteristic, or criterion, is assessed against a list of intensity ratings. Depending upon information found, a rating of Low, Medium Low, Medium High or High is assigned to that criterion. Where no data is available to answer a criterion, a rating of medium (M) is applied. A description of the invasiveness criteria and intensity ratings used in this process can be viewed here. |
The following table provides information on the invasiveness of Stinkwort.
A more detailed description of the methodology of the Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method can be viewed below:
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (PDF - 630 KB)
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (DOC - 1026 KB)
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Common Name: Stinkwort
Scientific name: Dittrichia graveolens
| Question | Comments | Reference | Rating |
| Establishment | |||
| Germination requirements? | Seeds germinate in spring. | P & C (1992) | MH |
| Establishment requirements? | Mostly establishes in ‘open habitats’, e.g. waste places, open pasture, road sites, grasslands & open woodlands. P & C (1992) | Webb et al (1988) Carr et al (1992) | ML |
| How much disturbance is required? | Can establish in minor disturbed natural ecosystems (e.g. grasslands and woodlands), as well as established pastures and crops ( e.g. cereals). | Carr et al (1992) P & C (1992) | MH |
| Growth/Competitive | |||
| Life form? | An erect, much branched annual herb. Other | P & C (1992) | L |
| Allelopathic properties? | None described |  | L |
| Tolerates herb pressure? | Due to strong smell, grazing animals appear to find it disagreeable, eating the plant only when it is very young. | P & C (1992) | MH |
| Normal growth rate? | Growth is described as ‘rapid’. In 1890 was recognised as the worst weed of cereals in South Australia. So highly competitive*. | P & C (1992) | MH |
| Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc? | Withstands drought and some frost exposure. | P & C (1992) | ML |
| Reproduction | |||
| Reproductive system | Reproducing by seed. | P & C (1992) | ML |
| Number of propagules produced? | (Estimate using picture in P & C & Marchant et al). – 100 flowers/branch x 50 branches/plant x 3 seeds per flower = 15,000 | P & C (1992) Marchant et al | H |
| Propagule longevity? | “Seeds are short lived and probably do not survive more than 3 years”. | P & C (1992) | L |
| Reproductive period? | Forms monocultures (see pic. P & C 1992 p. 282). | P & C (1992) | H |
| Time to reproductive maturity? | Seeds germinate in spring – flowering commences about March. | P & C (1992) | H |
| Dispersal | |||
| Number of mechanisms? | Wind, water, agricultural produce, machinery, vehicles, wool and skins. | P & C (1992) | MH |
| How far do they disperse? | Many propagules will disperse > 200 m as pappus is “efficient in supporting movement by wind and water” & attaching to objects. | P & C (1992) | H |
| * Among cereals at that time. However, no longer an important agricultural weed because of a general increase in soil fertility. | |||
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© The State of Victoria, 1996 - 2012.
This document was last reviewed on 26/09/2011