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Invasiveness Assessment - Mimosa, giant sensitive plant (Mimosa pigra) 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 Mimosa (giant sensitive plant).

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 - 1 MB)
To view the information PDF requires the use of a PDF reader. This can be installed for free from the Adobe website (external link).

Common Name: Mimosa, giant sensitive plant
Scientific name: Mimosa pigra

Question
Comments
Rating
Confidence
Establishment
Germination requirements?Seeds generally germinate when first wetted and have a high germination rate (ARMCANZ 2000). Opportunistic germinator.
H
MH
Establishment requirements?Adapted to seasonally flooded habitats and can regenerate under some degree of canopy cover (Binggeli 1997).
MH
MH
How much disturbance is required?Establishes in ‘agricultural areas, coastland, disturbed areas, natural forest, planted forests,
range/grasslands, riparian zones, scrub/shrublands, urban areas, water courses, wetlands’ (ISSG 2005). ‘Can also regenerate under a canopy of Melaleuca fringing the floodplain’ (Binggeli 1997).
MH
MH
Growth/Competitive
Life form?Leguminous, thorny shrub (ARMCANZ 2000).
MH
MH
Allelopathic properties?None described.
L
MH
Tolerates herb pressure?Not palatable to mammalian herbivores but biological control agents (insect and fungal) are being used (ARMCANZ 2000). Neurostrota gunniella, particularly, has been found to stunt plants but insufficient to control the plant (Paynter 2002).
MH
H
Normal growth rate?Smothers pastures and has densely covered river floodplain and swamp forest with monospecific thickets (ISSG 2005). Although seedlings are susceptible to competition from native grasses, once established will generally out-compete most flood plain species (Marko 1999).
H
MH
Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc?Can survive up to seven months drought. Can withstand flooding. Fire resistant and fire alone may stimulate re-growth and enhance seed germination. Tolerant to saline conditions. (Marko 1999)
H
MH
Reproduction
Reproductive systemAssumed that most of the seeds are produced by autogamy in Australia but is also bee-pollinated and possibly wind pollinated (ISSG 2005). Does not naturally reproduce vegetatively but can do from cut stems (Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001)
ML
MH
Number of propagules produced?Average production is 9,000 seeds per square metre (ARMCANZ 2000). Per plant, production has been measured at up to 220,000 (ISSG 2005).
H
MH
Propagule longevity?On sandy soils, seeds can survive at least 23 years, but viability will decrease more rapidly on clay soils (ARMCANZ 2000).
H
MH
Reproductive period?Flowering will continue for as long as water is available. Species can form dense monocultures (ISSG 2005).
H
MH
Time to reproductive maturity?Plants can begin flowering from 6 to 8 months after germination under ideal conditions (ARMCANZ 2000).
H
MH
Dispersal
Number of mechanisms?Bristles covering the seed pods assist in water dispersal. Within catchments, spread by floodwaters. Also spread by vehicle movement and by animals (buffalo, cattle, horses, wallabies). Seeds can stick on magpie geese and other waders (ISSG 2005).
H
MH
How far do they disperse?Due to the mechanisms of dispersal, it is assumed that seeds can spread over 1 km.
H
MH


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