14 Jan Pigeon berry, Golden dewdrop
Duranta erecta cultivars
This new vogue plant to the Sydney region has
become naturalised in some areas. It requires
active management in all gardens.
Family: Verbenaceae
Origin: West Indies, Central and South America
Habit: A straggly evergreen shrub 1-5m high with drooping branches
and sharp spines.
Leaves: The ovate leaves are 2.5-7.6 cm long and arranged on the stem
in pairs opposite each other, or in whorls of three.
Flowers: Showy inflorescences bloom almost all year long in terminal
or lateral racemes up to 15cm long. The individual flowers are
tubular with five petals, white, light blue, violet or purple, and
spread out at the mouth about 1cm across.
Fruit: Spherical yellow berry to 1.5cm in diameter borne in
showy hanging bunches.
Roots: Substantial tap and lateral root system.
Dispersal: Seed spread by water, animals (mainly birds), humans,
contaminated soil (earthmoving equipment, car tyres etc)
and garden refuse dumping.
Control: Hand pull/dig. Cut and Paint or Scrape and Paint, foliar spray.
