Hedichium gardnerianum
Family: Typhaceae
Type of weed: With underground regrowth structures
Description
- A perennial lily with 2-3 m high
- creeping underground stems
- very large leaves,alternately arranged and lance-shaped with long-pointed tips
- a long head of yellow to orange fragrant flowers with bright red filaments, in spike-like clusters
- summer to autumn flowering
Dispersal
Seeds are distributed by birds. Prefers damp sheltered areas with rich soil.
Alternative planting
Native plants
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Council provides a tool, on its Mountain Landscapes website, to help you choose native alternative plantings. Choose your village, soil, vegetation community and the purpose of your planting, and the tool will give you suggestions.
There are native nurseries in several Blue Mountains villages, including Glenbrook, Lawson and Katoomba. Please also ask at your favourite local nursery.
Exotic alternatives
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Control
- Manually remove bulbs, corms and tubers
- Spray
- Cut and paint crown
Manual control
Manual removal
Move leaf litter away from base of plant. Dig down next to the stem until the bulb or tuber is reached. Remove plant and carefully bag the bulb or tuber.
Chemical control
Note: Herbicides that may be used for this weed include Glyphosate, Metsulfuron methyl.
Spraying
Please consult the Herbicide page of this website to help you decide whether to spray, how to do it safely and more.
Extra considerations for weeds with underground reproductive structures
- Further digging may be required for plants with more than one tuber. Some bulbs may have small bulbils attached or present in the soil around them. These need to be removed. It may be quicker and more effective to dig weeds out.
- Learn and understand how the herbicide works. For bulb and corm species the most effective time is after flowering and before fruit has set.
Cut and Paint Crown
This treatment is specific to Blackberry.
Scrape back the earth around the base of each plant until the rhizome (from which the canes emerge) is exposed. Using a pair of secateurs or loppers, cut through the rhizome at its widest point and apply glyphosate immediately.
Specific control tips for this weed
Rhizome may be 1m or more long, and must be removed or poisoned to avoid resprouting.
For key points on these techniques: