Ochna or Micky Mouse Plant (Ochna serrulata ) is native to Southern Africa and very invasive in our region. Unfortunately, it is still seen as ornamental plant in Brisbane gardens. The Brisbane City Council has listed it as environmental weed. All our bush care sites encounter it, some battle true thickets of Ochna. The black berries following the spring flowers are much loved by birds which spread the seeds and further distribute this plague.
How to get rid of Ochna
Due to the strong deep roots Ochna is enormously difficult to fight. Hand-pulling works for seedling. Anything older needs to be poisoned. Best results have been achieved via foliar spray using 50/50 glyphosate. Stem Scraping and immediate application of poison is another method, for older larger growth stem injection with poison might be used as well. Poison application on cut stumps has only limited success. If the infestation is severe and Glyphosate appears not to be too effective, you might want to contact Habitat Brisbane for advice.
Where dense thickets have been formed we also need to consider the shelter they provide for native wildlife and create new protected areas before destroying existing ones.
Some possible replacements
Hovea acutifolia (Pointed-leaf Hovea), Ozothamnus diosmifolius (Sago Flower), Daviesa villifera (Native Gorse), Rubus parvifolius (Native Raspberry), Leptospermum polygalifolium (Tea Tree – shrub)
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