Mikania vine

Alert

Have you seen Mikania vine?

Be on the lookout for Mikania vine and report it to Biosecurity Queensland. Early detection and reporting are the key elements in preventing Mikania vine from becoming a major problem in Queensland.

Call us on 13 25 23.

Native to the Americas, mikania vine is a multi-stemmed perennial creeper and climber. It rapidly chokes and smothers areas it has colonised.

Mikania vine is a serious weed in West Africa, India, South East Asia, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands. In Australia, it has been found in North Queensland. Suitable growing conditions for mikania vine also exist in eastern Queensland, north-eastern New South Wales, northern Western Australia, and coastal regions of the Northern Territory.

You must manage the impacts of mikania vine on your land.

You must not give away, sell or release mikania vine into the environment.

You must report all sightings to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours.

Scientific name

Mikania micrantha

Other names

  • Mile-a-minute, bitter vine, American rope, Chinese creeper, climbing hemp vine

Similar species

  • Climbing groundsels

Description

  • Multi-stemmed perennial creeper and climber.
  • Leaves are heart-shaped, 4-13cm long, tapered to an acute point, arranged in opposite pairs along stem.
  • Stems are slender, ribbed, with fine white hairs.
  • Leaf stalk is 2-8cm long.
  • Flower heads are 4 individual heads, white to greenish-white, 4-6mm long.
  • Seeds are black, 1.5-2mm long, thin, 5-angled.

Habitat

  • Prefers humid environments where rainfall exceeds 1000mm per year.
  • Prefers rich, damp soils.

Distribution

  • Visit the Weeds Australia website and click on the distribution tab to access the distribution map.

Life cycle

  • Flowers from May to October.

Affected animals

  • Native animals

Impacts

Environmental

  • Spreads rapidly and smothers native vegetation.
  • Threatens World Heritage forests of North Queensland.

Economic

  • Invades plantation and agricultural crops and commercial forests in other countries.

How it is spread

  • Reproduces by seed and vegetatively.
  • Produces large quantities of seed (40,000 seeds per plant per year) that can be transported by wind, water, machinery or animals.
  • Young shoots easily transported by flood or machinery; small plant fragments containing a node readily produce roots when in contact with moist soil.

Control

  • Call 13 25 23 if you find a plant you suspect may be mikania vine to seek advice on control options.

Biological control

  • There is an agent approved but at this stage has not been released.

Legal requirements

  • Mikania vine is a category 2, 3, 4 and 5 restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014.
  • You must not keep, move, give away, sell or release mikania vine into the environment. Penalties may apply.
  • You must report all sightings to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours.
  • You must take all reasonable and practical measures to minimise the biosecurity risks associated with dealing with mikania vine under your control. This is called a general biosecurity obligation (GBO).
  • At a local level, each local government must have a biosecurity plan that covers invasive in its area. This plan may include actions to be taken on mikania vine. Some of these actions may be required under local laws. Contact your local government for more information.

Further information