Family: Malvaceae (mallows)

Status:

Description:
An erect branched, slightly woody perennial herb to about 1m high, with small (2-5 cm), sparse, alternately arranged toothed leaves. Flowers are about 2 cm diameter, yellow and hibiscus-like in shape. Fruit is a ribbed capsule, which breaks up into 8-10 segments.

Preferred habitat and impact:
Usually confined to waste ground, such as roadsides and rocky areas, stock camps or rabbit warrens, but can be competitive in pasture, due to its unpalatability to livestock. The common name suggests that it has good feed value, but this is not the case.

May reduce stock carrying capacity of pasture, and could be an environmental weed of remnant grassy native vegetation in farming areas.

Dispersal:
Finely barbed seed is spread on animals or clothing, in hay, in water or in mud on machinery or vehicles.

Look-alikes:
The native perennial herb Abutilon oxycarpum is also in the mallow family, and has the same growth habit and similar flowers, though the leaves are more abruptly tapered into the leaf stalk or slightly heart-shaped at the base, not almost diamond shaped as in Paddy’s lucerne. It tends to grow on steep rocky north-facing slopes.

Control:
Chip plants out. Spot spraying with selective or non-selective herbicides for young plants. Mature plants are quite resistant to herbicides. Slashing just before flowering will prevent seed production temporarily and produce new growth for spraying.