Moth Plant

Moth plant is a swine of a pest plant.

It’s a vigorous grower, shade tolerant, and capable of smothering our regenerating bush if allowed to run rampant. It’s pink-white flowers are easily visible in the trees between December and May. In autumn and winter it’s pale green choko-like pods form. The pods carry up to 1000 dandelion-like seeds which can travel several kilometers once the pods have dried and split.

On Gulf islands land-owners are legally required to remove moth plant, and this is best done well prior to the pods splitting.

The sap is a sticky irritant, so protective clothing in the form of gloves and arm covering is a good idea. If the infestation is minor, the seedlings can be pulled out and left to die. If the flowering vines have climbed into the trees, the vines can be cut off near the ground and painted with Picloram gel, a stump paint which works well on moth plant.

If pods have formed, they need to be removed from the vines, and bagged up to be taken away.

The sites of removal need to be revisited in order to follow up on infestations. It’s an on-going task.

There is a small team of intrepid moth plant removers on Rakino who gather a couple of times a year to try and tackle the moth plant problem in the reserves, but also on private land if required. If you’re willing to volunteer a couple of hours on a long weekend a couple of times a year, the moth plant removal team will almost certainly come and help out with your infestation, and you’ll be justly rewarded for your efforts with an expertly cooked sausage courtesy of Kevin Wragge. Delicious! 🙂