Invasiveness Assessment - Bluebell creeper (Billardiera heterophylla / Billardiera fusifomis Labill) in Victoria
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Plant invasiveness is determined by evaluating a plant’s biological and ecological characteristics against criteria that encompass establishment requirements, growth rate and competitive ability, methods of reproduction, and dispersal mechanisms.
| Each characteristic, or criterion, is assessed against a list of intensity ratings. Depending upon information found, a rating of Low, Medium Low, Medium High or High is assigned to that criterion. Where no data is available to answer a criterion, a rating of medium (M) is applied. A description of the invasiveness criteria and intensity ratings used in this process can be viewed here. |
The following table provides information on the invasiveness of Bluebell creeper.
A more detailed description of the methodology of the Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method can be viewed below:
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (PDF - 630 KB)
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (DOC - 1026 KB)
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Common Name: Bluebell creeper
Scientific name: Billardiera heterophylla / Billardiera fusifomis Labill (formally known as Sollya heterophylla Lindl.)
| Question | Comments | Rating | Confidence |
| Establishment | |||
| Germination requirements? | Taylor (1997) showed highest seed germination at 15oC and no germination occurring at 25oC, which corresponds to temperatures in the field when rainfall is at its highest, indicating a requirement of natural seasonal disturbances for germination. | MH | MH |
| Establishment requirements? | Can grow in part shade (Blood 2001) and known to invade several forest communities (Carr et al 1992). Could establish under moderate canopy cover. | MH | MH |
| How much disturbance is required? | Germination is reported to occur in Autumn, especially after fire or another disturbance. The seeds are not dependent on fire for germination however (Blood 2001). | H | M |
| Growth/Competitive | |||
| Life form? | Twining climber or dense scrambling shrub (Muyt 2001). | ML | MH |
| Allelopathic properties? | Nothing grows under canopies and this is likely due to allelopathy (R. Adair pers.com.). | MH | MH |
| Tolerates herb pressure? | Although it is documented not to mature in regularly grazed pasture (White 2007), Taylor (1997) found that in natural ecosystems herbivore damage of plants was extremely low. Consumed but not preferred. | MH | MH |
| Normal growth rate? | Although seedlings are described as initially slow growing as an extensive root system forms (Blood 2001) it is otherwise documented as growing rapidly (Blood 2001, Strickland 1990) especially after fire (R. Adair pers. comm., Muyt 2001). Overall available information suggests at least a moderately rapid growth rate. | MH | MH |
| Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc? | Tolerant of drought, frost to -5oC (Blood 2001) and in WA (B. heterophylla) inhabits saline soils and occurs around inland salt lakes (Cayzer et al 2004). Although most established plants are killed by hot fire, low intensity fires enhance invasion (Taylor 1997) and fire triggers germination and rapid growth (White 2007, Muyt 2001). Highly tolerant of at least two stresses. Tolerance to water logging not found documented. | MH | MH |
| Reproduction | |||
| Reproductive system | Reproduction is by seed and regeneration from root segments (Blood 2001). | H | MH |
| Number of propagules produced? | Fruits contain up to 80 seeds (Taylor 1997). Images indicate that a single plant could produce above 2000 propagules. | H | MH |
| Propagule longevity? | ‘Seeds are reported to remain viable for at least 5 years although this requires confirmation (Hill 1997)’. | ML | M |
| Reproductive period? | Has the ability to convert large areas to a near monoculture (Hill 1997) with large colonies many metres across being formed purely by vegetative means (Blood 2001). Potential to form self-sustaining monocultures. | H | MH |
| Time to reproductive maturity? | Rapid growth following fire initiates flowering and fruiting within 12-24 months (White 2007). Produces propagules between 1-2 years after germination. | MH | MH |
| Dispersal | |||
| Number of mechanisms? | Spread by birds, animals including foxes and dumped garden waste (Blood 2001). | H | MH |
| How far do they disperse? | Its spread by birds and foxes (Blood 2001) is likely to disperse some seeds greater than 1 km. | H | MH |
* A revision of Billardiera and other closely related genera has been recently undertaken by Cayzer et al (2006). Analyses indicated that the genus Billardiera should incorporate Sollya, and the former species Sollya heterophylla has been reclassified as two species Billardiera heterophylla and Billardiera fusiformis.
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