Family: Polygalaceae

Status:

Description:
Both are shrubs 1 to 2m high. Broom milkwort is a more slender shrub, usually single stemmed, with some minor branching near the tip of the plant, and narrower leaves. Myrtle-leaf milkwort is a more robust, widely branching shrub. Flowers are purple, "butterfly shaped", and clustered near the tips of the branches. Fruit is a winged flattened capsule, ripening to a papery texture.

Preferred habitat and impacts:
In bush around towns, particularly in near-coastal locations. Broom milkwort is less common.
Myrtle-leaf milkwort is tolerant of poor soils, dry conditions and exposure to salt. It grows rapidly and flowers when still young. Seed remains viable for at least three years and can germinate prolifically after disturbance, including fire. It can come to dominate the understorey in dry bush and coastal woodland.

Dispersal:
Spread from seed in dumped garden waste, and in contaminated soil, sometimes by ants or birds.

Look-alikes:
Flowers look similar to those of native peas, but lack the large single petal at the top of the flower. Purple flowered native pea shrubs in the region are Indigofera australis and several species of Hovea, but the flower structure is obviously different on close inspection.
One very similar and closely related native is match-heads (Comesperma ericinum ), a small single-stemmed shrub very like broom milkwort in form. It grows in heath and forest with a dry heathy shrub understorey. Its leaves are much smaller than those of the milkworts and the flowers are also more delicate, pink rather than purple and without the purple streaking of broom milkwort flowers. A native plant with similar leaves to the milkworts, which could be confused if not flowering, is the yellow flowered pea Pultenaea daphnoides.

Control:
Numerous seedlings are likely to appear after disturbance, such as removal of mature plants, and follow-up control will be needed for at least three years. Plants are relatively sensitive to fire, so burning can be used to kill adult plants, but it will also cause mass germination of seedlings. Mature plants cut off close to the base are not likely to re-sprout. This is easier than digging, and less likely to cause more seed germination.