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Watsonia meriana var. bulbillifera (J.W.Mathews & L.Bolus) D.A.Cooke
Bugle Lily

Reference
J.Adelaide Bot.Gard. 18:6 (1998)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Alien to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Cormous, perennial, herb, to 2.5 m high, flowers in lower part of inflorescence replaced with clusters of cormils; capsules rarely produced. Fl. pink-red/orange, Sep to Dec. Grey sandy loam, brown gravelly loam, brown sandy clay, pale sandy alluvium. Valley slopes, winter-wet areas, along riverbanks & creeklines, roadside drains.

Amanda Spooner, Descriptive Catalogue, 16 August 2007
Image

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain, Warren.
IBRA Subregions
Katanning, Northern Jarrah Forest, Perth, Recherche, Southern Jarrah Forest, Warren.
IMCRA Regions
WA South Coast.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Albany, Armadale, Augusta Margaret River, Bunbury, Cranbrook, Denmark, Donnybrook-Balingup, Esperance, Gosnells, Kalamunda, Manjimup, Mosman Park, Mundaring, Murray, Nannup, Northam, Plantagenet, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, South Perth.

Management Notes (for the Swan NRM Region)

Alternative Names. Bulbil Watsonia.

General Biology. Growth form. Geophyte. Life form. Annually renewed corm, some dormancy between fire. Reproduction. Offsets, cormels on stem and base, occasionally seed. Dispersal. Water, soil, wind. Time to first flowering. 2-3 years. Seedbank persistence. Medium, 1-5 years. Fire response. Generally survives fire. Prolific flowering and seed set follow summer fire.

Notes. Watsonia meriana var.bulbillifera has been noted to set seed and produce bubils on the same flowering stem in south-west Australia.

Additional information. Origin. Southern Africa. History of use/introduction. Garden escape.

Suggested method of management and control. Wipe individual leaves with glyphosate 10% or spray dense infestations with 2,2-DPA 10 g/L + Pulse®. Apply just as flower spikes emerge at corm exhaustion. 2,2-DPA at 5 g/L+ Pulse® is also quite effective and is appropriate to use when particularly concerned about off-target damage, for example following fire when Watsonia is growing among germinating native seedlings and resprouting native shrubs. Read the manufacturers' labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. For further information consult the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to determine the status of permits for your situation or state.

Management Calendar

Calendar Type Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Comments
Dormant Y Y Y                 Y  
Active Growth       Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y    
Flowering                 Y Y Y    
Germination                          
Optimum Treatment                 Y        

Legend: Y = Yes, regularly, O = Occasionally, U = Uncertain, referred by others but not confirmed.

 

References

  • Brown, K. (2006) Control of Bulbil Watsonia (Watsonia meriana var. meriana) invading a Banksia Woodland: Effectiveness of 2,2-DPA and its impacts on native flora. Ecological Management and Restoration, 7 (1): 68-70.
  • Brown, K. & Bourke, C. (2014) Wild Native Rose: Untangling the causes of population decline. Australasian Plant Conservation: Journal of the Australian Network for Plant Conservation, 23 (2): 9-11.
  • Brown, K. & Brooks, K. (2002) Bushland Weeds: A Practical Guide to their Management. Environmental Weeds Action Network, Greenwood.
  • Brown, K. & Paczkowska, G. (2013) Plant communities of seasonal clay-based wetlands of south-west Australia: weeds, fire and regeneration. Ecological Management & Restoration, URL: http://site.emrprojectsummaries.org (EMR Project Summaries).
  • Brown, K., Paczkowska, G., Huston, B. & Withnell, N. (2008) Managing Watsonia invasion in the threatened plant communities of south-west Australia’s clay-based wetlands. Australasian Plant Conservation: Journal of the Australian Network for Plant Conservation, 17 (1): 8-10.
  • Du Plessis, N. & Duncan G. (1989) Bulbous plants of Southern Africa. Tafelberg Publishers Ltd, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Goldblatt, P. (1989) The genus Watsonia. A systematic monograph. Annals of Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens, 19.
  • Hussey, B.M.J., Keighery, G.J., Dodd, J., Lloyd, S.G. & Cousens, R.D. (2007) Western Weeds. A guide to the weeds of Western Australia. 2nd Edition. The Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Victoria Park.
  • Manning, J., Goldblatt, P. & Snijman, D. (2002) The color encyclopedia of Cape bulbs. Timber Press (Inc.), Portland, USA.
  • Moore, J.H. & Fletcher, G.E (1994) Bulbil watsonia. Plant Protection Quarterly, 9 (3): 82-85.