Penny leaf
Dalbergia sissoo, Fam. Fabaceae
Small, semi-deciduous tree 4-8m occasionally to 12m in this region. Grey deeply furrowed bark on trunks of older trees.
| Weed Category: |
Other invasive plants Invasive plants that are not prohibited or restricted invasive plants, but are known to spread readily and cause negative impacts, within the region.
|
| Weed: | Yes |
| Form or habit: | Small tree |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Leaf: | Compound Alternate Compound, alternate, pinnate about 150mm long, 3-7 rounded alternate leaflets with abruptly pointed apex, dark green above, paler beneath, terminal leaflet larger than laterals, about 75 x 65mm. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
Cream |
| Flower description: | Cream pea shaped, to 15mm long, borne in dense axillary sprays; fragrant. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Brown, Green |
| Fruit: | Dry |
| Fruit description: | Indehiscent flattened oblong pods, 40-100 x 100mm, pale green to brown and papery at maturity, slightly raised over the 1-5 flat brown seeds, 8-10mm long. Numerous pods persist on trees over many months. |
| Habitat: | |
| Distribution | |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | India |
| Notes: | Spread by: contaminated soil, garden waste, forest mulch and wind. Suckers profusely over long distance from parent after any disturbance and grows readily from all vegetative parts, including logs. Invades/threats: Open forest, creek banks, coastal dunes, roadsides, pastures, agriculture and disturbed areas. Can grow on most soil types. Notes: introduced to Mackay for amenity planting in the 1930’s; reported as naturalising in 1962, and as a pastoral weed spreading into cultivated fields in 1963. Now widespread, including in endangered regional ecosystems. Withstands frequent fires and months of drought. It is widely planted overseas as an amenity and timber tree; reported to reach 30m high in India. Examination of pods showed only 5-40% set fully formed seeds and fungal infection commonly caused seed mortality. Environmental weed. |
| Information sources: | Mackay Regional Pest Management Group (2018) Weeds of the Mackay Whitsunday Region Second Edition. |
