Invasiveness Assessment - Topped lavender (Lavandula stoechas) 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 Topped lavender.

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: Topped lavender
Scientific name: Lavandula stoechas

Question	Comments	Reference	Rating
Establishment
Germination requirements?	Seeds germinate at most times of the year.	P & C (1992)	H
Establishment requirements?	Mostly occurs in ‘open’ situations, such as pastures, roadsides, and open vegetation formations (grasslands and grassy woodlands).	P & C (1992) Webb et al (1988)	ML
How much disturbance is required?	Establishes in minor disturbed ecosystems e.g. grasslands and grassy woodlands, as well as highly disturbed habitats.	P & C (1992) Carr et al (1992)	MH
Growth/Competitive
Life form?	Erect shrub. Other.	P & C (1992)	L
Allelopathic properties?	None described.		L
Tolerates herb pressure?	Not eaten by stock. Not known to be under a biocontrol program in Australia or New Zealand.	P & C (1992)	H
Normal growth rate?	Forms dense patches, which eliminate most other vegetation. Crowds out all other vegetation in pastoral areas and improved land.	P & C (1992) Blood (n.d.)	H
Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc?	Tolerant of drought and as occurs in creeks also assumed tolerant of water logging.	Munne-Bosch et al P & C (1992)	ML
Reproduction
Reproductive system	Reproducing by seed roots and crowns.	P & C (1992)	H
Number of propagules produced?	(Estimate using pic. P & C). 50 inflorescence x 60 flowers per inflorescence x 1 seed per flower = 3,000.	P & C (1992)	H
Propagule longevity?	Seed is long lived in the soil. However, period unknown.	P & C (1992)	M
Reproductive period?	Forms dense patches – monocultures.	P & C (1992)	H
Time to reproductive maturity?	Plants are at least two years old before flowering.	P & C (1992)	ML
Dispersal
Number of mechanisms?	Seed – water, wind and birds. Roots and crowns – cultivation equipment and road graders.	P & C (1992)	H
How far do they disperse?	Many propagules likely to spread through dispersal by birds, water, cultivation equipment, etc.	P & C (1992)	H

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