Jasmine provides a very scented and pretty creeper but this needs to be controlled as Jasmine is a serious weed in the Rainforest.

Type of weed: Climber, scrambler or groundcover

Flowering Months: September, October, November

Native of China. A fast growing evergreen climber with small shiny green leaves and white flowers which are pink in bud and sweetly scented. Jasmine spreads by self-layering and occasional setting of seed. It can seriously threaten the rainforest edges of Mt Wilson. This plant has become a big problem in some gardens.

Alert: The flowers can cause allergies in some people.

Don’t confuse with…  Jasmine can be confused with native Wonga Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana) before the plant develops the distinctive lobed leaves and before it flowers.

Impact on bushland

Jasmine climbs rapidly into the tree canopy and covers vegetation at all levels, blocking light and restricting the growth and regeneration of native species. Its weight may bring down branches. It is a serious weed of rainforests.

Prevention

  • Keep well pruned

Control

Because of the fine twining stems and vigorous nature of this plant it is hard to eradicate.

  • Dig out or spray December to March.
  • Scrape and paint stems.
  • If the vine has grown up into the canopy of a tree or shrub, cut each of the vine stems about 500 mm above the ground, after scraping and painting above and below the planned cut, to allow the parts in the tree canopy to die. It is important to keep the cut low to allow adequate length of the stems to be reached for re-treatment.

Alternative native plantings

  • Twining Purple Pea (Hardenbergia violacea)
  • Wonga Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana)
  • Water Vine (Cissus antarctica)
  • Old Man’s Beard (Clematis aristata) - note: not Clematis cultivars as these can also be environmental weeds.