Invasiveness Assessment - Sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa) 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 Sweet briar.

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: Sweet briar
Scientific name: Rosa rubiginosa

Question	Comments	Reference	Rating
Establishment
Germination requirements?	“Seeds germinate at almost any time of the year”.	P & C (1992 p. 572)	H
Establishment requirements?	Would receive shading in forest communities and pine plantations. “Occurs primarily in lightly shaded and sunny positions”. “Invades lowland grassland and grassy woodland, dry and damp sclerophyll forest and woodland, riparian, rock outcrop, alpine and sub-alpine vegetation, pastures and pine plantations”.	Blood (2001 p. 78) Muyt (2001 p. 217)	MH
How much disturbance is required?	“Invades lowland grassland and grassy woodland, dry and damp sclerophyll forest and woodland, riparian, rock outcrop, alpine and sub-alpine vegetation, pastures and pine plantations”.	Blood (2001 p. 78)	H
Growth/Competitive
Life form?	Erect shrub. Other.	P & C (1992 p. 572)	L
Allelopathic properties?	No Allelopathic properties described.		L
Tolerates herb pressure?	“Sweet briar is not a hardy plant in its young stage and is kept well in control by grazing animal, particularly sheep and rabbits”. However, once mature “the prickly nature of sweet briar deters grazing animals from feeding close to the plant”. (P & C 1992 p. 574).	P & C (1992 p. 574)	MH
Normal growth rate?	“Seedlings lack early vigour and few survive in competition with other plants”.	P & C (1992 p. 572)	ML
Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc?	“Tolerates frost, wide range of conditions except poorly drained soils”. Tolerant of drought as occurs in arid areas of Australia. See map in P & C.	Blood (2001 p. 78) P & C (1992 p. 572)	ML
Reproduction
Reproductive system	“Reproducing from perennial roots and by seed”.	P & C (1992 p. 572)	H
Number of propagules produced?	“Seeds numerous”. - Shrub producing many fruits – see picture in Blood (2001 p. 79).	Blood (2001 p. 79)	H
Propagule longevity?	“Seeds remain viable in the soil for 3 – 4 years”.	P & C (1992 p. 574)	L
Reproductive period?	Shrub assumed to produce propagules > 10 years.		H
Time to reproductive maturity?	“Plants do not flower until they are about 3 years old”.	P & C (1992 p. 573)	ML
Dispersal
Number of mechanisms?	“The fruit is brightly coloured and appears to be an attractive food to fruit – eating birds and other animals which then excrete the seed in a viable conditions”.	P & C (1992 p. 574)	H
How far do they disperse?	This accounts for the rapid spread in much of the native bushland of south-eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria”.	P & C (1992 p. 574)	H

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