Native Bleeding Heart (Homalanthus populifolius)

Native Bleeding Heart often comes up naturally after invasive weeds have been removed from rainforest and its edges. The reason is that its seeds have a long dormancy period waiting for better light. It is fast growing and can reach eight metres in good soils. Its common name comes from its heart-shaped leaves, some of which turn red in the winter months. Deer will eat them and these trees need to be protected by fences or cages. A forest of these trees has appeared within the deer fence at the western end of the Stanwell Avenue Reserve after the Lantana and Senna was removed (see photo). They are important fruit trees for birds, including the brown cuckoo dove, silvereye and Lewin’s honeyeater, and it is the host plant for the Hercules moth, Australia’s largest.

Weed of the Month: Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia)

Madeira Vine is an invasive climber that is native to South America (Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Southern Brazil and Northern Argentina). In Australia it has been used as an ornamental plant in gardens, but has become an invasive environmental weed, blanketing and smothering both shrubs and trees.

Madeira vine is similar to the native Pearl Vine (Sarcopetalum harveyanum) and Snake Vine (Stephania japonica) but its giveaways are its flowers that appear from late summer to autumn and the potato-like nodes along the vine itself. It is a mistake to try and pull it out when mature because the nodes drop on the ground and can sprout in the thousands. The best way to remove it is to leave it as it is, scrape about 50cm along one side of the vine and paint neat glysophate or similar poison along the trunk.