Invasiveness Assessment - Cape tulip (one leaf) (Moraea flaccida) 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 Cape tulip (one leaf).

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)
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Common Name: Cape tulip (one leaf)
Scientific name: Moraea flaccida

Question	Comments	Reference	Rating
Establishment
Germination requirements?	“Seeds and corms germinate after autumn rains”.	P & C (1992 p. 75)	MH
Establishment requirements?	“It does not establish well on shaded sites: but establishes. Invades dry sclerophyll forest and woodland where some shading would occur.	P & C (1992 p. 74) Carr et al (1992)	MH
How much disturbance is required?	Occurs in heathland and heathy woodland.	Carr et al (1992)	H
Growth/Competitive
Life form?	Cormour geophyte.	Carr et al (1992)	ML
Allelopathic properties?	No allelopathic properties described.		ML
Tolerates herb pressure?	“Stock accustomed to grazing on infested areas are seldom affected, mainly because they do not eat much of the plant”.	P & C (1992 p. 76)	MH
Normal growth rate?	“Patches can be very dense with almost 7,000 corms per square metre recorded in some areas”. See pic. in P & C (1992 p. 76).	P & C (1992) Carr et al (1992)	MH
Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc?	Occurs in semi arid areas. Some corms likely to survive fire. Occurs in freshwater wetland (seasonal).	P & C (1992 p. 74) Carr et al (1992)	MH
Reproduction
Reproductive system	“Reproducing from corms and by seed”.	P & C (1992 p. 75)	H
Number of propagules produced?	Up to 150 seeds per capsule x 8 capsules per plant = 1,200 seeds. (See description and illustration in P & C (1992 p. 75)).	P & C (1992 p. 75)	MH
Propagule longevity?	“Seeds are not long lived in the soil and most germinate in the autumn following formation. Corms show longer viability than seeds”.	P & C (1992 p. 76)	L
Reproductive period?	Competes with crops and pastures and a very serious threat to indigenous communities.	P & C (1992 p. 76)	H
Time to reproductive maturity?	“Plants are 2 or 3 years old before they flower and produce seeds”.	P & C (1992 p. 75)	ML
Dispersal
Number of mechanisms?	Machinery, animals (internal and external), wind and water.	P & C (1992 p. 76)	MH
How far do they disperse?	“Seeds remain viable after passing through stock and spread throughout much of WA, is thought to have been in cattle droppings.	P & C (1992 p. 76)	H

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