How to identify weeds (invasive plants)

Weeds (called invasive plants in the Biosecurity Act 2014) are able to spread rapidly and have unwanted economic, environmental or social impacts.

They can be very difficult to identify and may be confused with plants that are not invasive, including native or endangered species.

Some weed plants also look very different in their juvenile and mature stages.

It's important to correctly identify the weed to ensure that control methods are effective and appropriate.

Some factors to consider when identifying weeds are:

  • where and when the plant grows
  • its shape and size
  • its leaf form
  • its fruit and flowers.

Tools to help identify weeds

Our listings of restricted, prohibited and other invasive plants are a useful reference for weed identification.

There are many more online weed-identification tools to help you identify weeds.

Identifying weeds from specimens

If you cannot identify the plant using online tools or invasive plant identification publications, you can send a sample to the Queensland Herbarium for analysis.

Alternatively, you can submit a photo of the plant using Biosecurity Queensland's identify invasive plants form.

Reporting prohibited or restricted weeds

If you think you may have found a prohibited or restricted (category 2, 3, 4 or 5) invasive plant, immediately contact us online, by phone or in person.

Take photos and note the exact location of the plant so that it can be easily found.

Also consider...