Invasiveness Assessment - Stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens) in Victoria (Nox)

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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 Stinkwort.

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: Stinkwort
Scientific name: Dittrichia graveolens

Question	Comments	Reference	Rating
Establishment
Germination requirements?	Seeds germinate in spring.	P & C (1992)	MH
Establishment requirements?	Mostly establishes in ‘open habitats’, e.g. waste places, open pasture, road sites, grasslands & open woodlands. P & C (1992)	Webb et al (1988) Carr et al (1992)	ML
How much disturbance is required?	Can establish in minor disturbed natural ecosystems (e.g. grasslands and woodlands), as well as established pastures and crops ( e.g. cereals).	Carr et al (1992) P & C (1992)	MH
Growth/Competitive
Life form?	An erect, much branched annual herb. Other	P & C (1992)	L
Allelopathic properties?	None described		L
Tolerates herb pressure?	Due to strong smell, grazing animals appear to find it disagreeable, eating the plant only when it is very young.	P & C (1992)	MH
Normal growth rate?	Growth is described as ‘rapid’. In 1890 was recognised as the worst weed of cereals in South Australia. So highly competitive*.	P & C (1992)	MH
Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc?	Withstands drought and some frost exposure.	P & C (1992)	ML
Reproduction
Reproductive system	Reproducing by seed.	P & C (1992)	ML
Number of propagules produced?	(Estimate using picture in P & C & Marchant et al). – 100 flowers/branch x 50 branches/plant x 3 seeds per flower = 15,000	P & C (1992) Marchant et al	H
Propagule longevity?	“Seeds are short lived and probably do not survive more than 3 years”.	P & C (1992)	L
Reproductive period?	Forms monocultures (see pic. P & C 1992 p. 282).	P & C (1992)	H
Time to reproductive maturity?	Seeds germinate in spring – flowering commences about March.	P & C (1992)	H
Dispersal
Number of mechanisms?	Wind, water, agricultural produce, machinery, vehicles, wool and skins.	P & C (1992)	MH
How far do they disperse?	Many propagules will disperse > 200 m as pappus is “efficient in supporting movement by wind and water” & attaching to objects.	P & C (1992)	H
* Among cereals at that time. However, no longer an important agricultural weed because of a general increase in soil fertility.

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