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Moraea flaccida (Sweet) Steud.
One-leaf Cape Tulip

Reference
Nomencl.Bot. Ed. 2, 2:160 (1841)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Alien to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Cormous, perennial, herb, to 0.75 m high. Fl. yellow & orange/yellow, Sep to Nov. White sand, grey sandy loam over limestone,laterite clay, gravel. Seasonally wet sites, along creeklines, hilltops, pasture and disturbed land.

Amanda Spooner, Descriptive Catalogue, 16 August 2007

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Swan Coastal Plain, Warren.
IBRA Subregions
Katanning, Northern Jarrah Forest, Perth, Recherche, Southern Jarrah Forest, Warren, Western Mallee.
IMCRA Regions
Central West Coast, Leeuwin-Naturaliste, WA South Coast.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Albany, Armadale, Augusta Margaret River, Boddington, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Bunbury, Busselton, Canning, Capel, Cockburn, Cranbrook, Dandaragan, Dardanup, Esperance, Gnowangerup, Gosnells, Harvey, Joondalup, Mandurah, Manjimup, Nedlands, Northam, Rockingham, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, South Perth, Stirling, Swan, Wagin, Wandering, Wanneroo, West Arthur, Williams, York.

Management Notes (for the Swan NRM Region)

Alternative Names. Homeria flaccida.

General Biology. Growth form. Geophyte. Life form. Annually renewed corm. Reproduction. Primarily seed, occasionally corm offsets. Dispersal. Water, soil, cattle droppings. Time to first flowering. 2-3 years. Seedbank persistence. Less than 2 years. Fire response. Generally survives fire. Fire can bring corms out of dormancy and stimulate flowering.

Notes. Up to 60% of corms beneath the soil surface can remain dormant over the winter growing season. Following fire is a particularly important time to control One Leaf Cape Tulip as fire can bring corms out of dormancy and stimulate flowering. All parts of the plant are toxic to stock.

Additional information. Origin. Southern Africa. History of use/introduction. Garden escape. Similar exotic species. Moraea miniata.

Suggested method of management and control. Spot spray metsulfuron methyl 0.2 g/15 L or chlorsulfuron 0.2 g/15 L + Pulse® or 2.5-5 g/ha + Pulse® or 2,2 DPA 55 g/10 L + Pulse®. Apply just on flowering at corm exhaustion. 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             Y Y  
Active Growth         Y Y Y Y Y Y      
Flowering               Y Y        
Fruiting                 Y Y      
Germination         Y Y Y            
Optimum Treatment             Y Y          

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

 

References

  • Brown, K. & Brooks, K. (2002) Bushland Weeds: A Practical Guide to their Management. Environmental Weeds Action Network, Greenwood.
  • Brown, K. & Paczkowska, G. (2006) Managing weeds in bushland: Cape Tulip (Moraea flaccida & M. miniata). Department of Environment and Conservation Brochure.
  • CSIRO (2005) Cape Tulips (Moraea flaccida and Moraea miniata). CSIRO URL: http://www.ento.csiro.au/weeds/capetulip/ - Accessed February 2008.
  • Goldblatt, P. (1986) The Moraeas of Southern Africa. A systematic monograph of the genus in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Transkei, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Annals of Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens, 14.
  • 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, Portland, USA.
  • Parsons, W.T. & Cuthbertson, E.G. (2001) Noxious weeds of Australia. 2nd Edition. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood.
  • Pate, J.S & Dixon, K.W. (1982) Tuberous, cormous and bulbous plants. Biology of an adaptive strategy in Western Australia. University of Western Australia Press, Nedlands.
  • Pearce, G. A. (1962) Factors affecting the control of Cape Tulip. Master of Science in agriculture, University of Western Australia.
  • Pearce, G. A. (1963) Dormancy in Homeria breyiana ,(L.) Lewis. Weed Research, 3: 215-29.
  • Peirce, J.R. & Randall, R. (1999) Declared plant handbook: Index to control of declared plants; Cape Tulip (Homeria flaccida, Homeria miniata). Agriculture Western Australia.