Bidens pilosa

Cobbler's Pegs, Farmer's Friend at Dunlop, ACT

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Identification history

	Bidens pilosa	11 Apr 2019	BettyDonWood
	Bidens pilosa	10 Apr 2019	mcosgrove

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User's notes

Weedy infestation at top of Mt Painter, appropriately 20 x 20 m, spreading into nearby areas. Plants flowering and some plants holding old fruit.

9 comments

michaelb wrote:

11 Apr 2019

Apparently the same patch as reported by Cath Busby:

Bidens pilosa (Cobblers Pegs, Pitch-forks, Farmer's Friend) on 11 Mar 2019

MichaelMulvaney wrote:

12 Apr 2019

I informed Friends of Mt Painter of this sighting who said " Mount Painter (Parkcare) have, since 17 March, put in about 30 hours weeding Cobblers Peg in the summit area. Our strategy has been 1) to remove plants and bag seed heads and flowers along paths where seeds would be readily picked up by passers-by and 2) to weed from the edges of the population towards the centre of the infestation. "

Good on them, and they demonstrate that it is one that the rest of us should bevigilant about.

michaelb wrote:

12 Apr 2019

Thanks for the report Michael M

JohnB wrote:

12 Apr 2019

CathB and I also removed several plants on the trail at the eastern base of Mt Painter, by the horse paddocks. It may be more widespread on Mt Painter than we are currently aware.

JohnB wrote:

12 Apr 2019

Further to my previous posting, CathB and I went on to search between those basal-track sightings and the main infestation near the Mt Painter summit reported by CathB and mcosgrove and found nothing. So this weed can spot into areas well disjunct from large infestations.

michaelb wrote:

13 Apr 2019

The seeds cling to clothing very well, hence the name 'Farmer's Friend'. I'm familiar with it from living up the NSW North Coast where it grows abundantly.

Mike wrote:

13 Apr 2019

The seeds travel well. Somehow they managed to travel from South America and arrived in Australia before Captain Cook.

MichaelMulvaney wrote:

15 Apr 2019

Sarah said that "My best guess, based on the densest infestation being beside a path, is that Cobblers Peg was brought on to Mt Painter on clothes or dog fur belonging to visitors walking on the summit path. From there it would have been spread on kangaroo fur and by being washed down by rain from the path, which is on the ridge line. Down from the dense path-side infestation, the plants are more scattered on either side of the path." I also think that people or dog walkers were the cause of the infestation on Red Hill.

Mike wrote:

15 Apr 2019

A good reason for keeping dogs on a short lead, not the long retractable ones. We can't control the kangaroos.

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