Quick Facts

Quick facts

• Gallon's Curse (Cenchrus biflorus) is an annual, tufted grass.
• It is found in tropical and subtropical sub-humid woodlands, arid and semi-arid low woodlands, Acacia shrublands and arid tussock grasslands.
• It flowers from January to August and is spread by its spiny burrs sticking to fur and clothing.
• It is found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

What Does It Look Like?

What is it?

Gallon's Curse (Cenchrus biflorus) is a loosely tufted annual grass, with stems growing up to 1 m tall. Leaves are arranged alternately along the stem and their sheaths (where the leaf blade clasps the stem) are loose and open for most of their length. The leaf blade is flat, 2–25 cm long and 2–7 mm wide, with a rounded base and a thread-like tip.

The compact green, yellow or brown flower cluster is 2–15 cm by 9–12 mm, with groups of flowers enclosed by rings of prickly bristles that are fused below into a disc 2–4 mm in diameter.

The bristles fall with the fruit, forming a spiny burr. The seeds are oblong or roundish and 1.1–1.3 mm long (Sharp & Simon 2002; Brink 2006).

For further information and assistance with identification of Gallons Curse, contact the herbarium in your state or territory.

Flower colour

Yellow, Green, Brown

Growth form (weed type/habit)

Grass

Where it currently grows? Preferred habitat

Gallon's Curse has been recorded as occurring in tropical and subtropical sub-humid woodlands, arid and semi-arid low woodlands, Acacia shrublands and arid tussock grasslands (Sharp & Simon 2002).

Are there similar species?

Gallon's Curse has several relatives in Australia. The difficulty in identifying individual species has led to considerable confusion in botanical identification and in the use of common names (Mullen et al. 2005). Keys to the identification of the species found in Australia can be found in publications such as Sharp & Simon (2002). Due to the difficulties in identification, an expert may need to be consulted to confirm the identification,

For further information and assistance with identification of Gallons Curse, contact the herbarium in your state or territory.

Why Is It A Weed?

What are its impacts?

In Australia, Cenchrus species are considered weeds because of their sharp clingy burrs, ability to spread rapidly and tendency to develop into dense infestations in favourable conditions (Mullen et al. 2005).

Human impacts: Gallon's Curse's spiny flower clusters may injure humans and livestock and cause infection (Brink 2006).

How does it spread?

The spiny burrs of Gallon's Curse adhere to the hair of animals and to clothing, allowing wide dispersal (Brink 2006).

What is its history in Australia?

Gallon's Curse has been sown as a forage crop in northern Australia (Brink 2006). There are also herbarium records from O.T. Station, Northern Territory from 1947, where the plant is said to have arrived via stock horses (Australian National Herbarium 2008)

How To Manage It?

Best practice management

There are no specific control methods for Gallon's Curse, however, other species of Cenchrus are controlled by physical and chemical means. The key to effective control is to exhaust the seed supply by cultivation, increasing competition, herbicide application, observing machinery hygiene protocols and not buying stock from infested areas (Mullen et al. 2005).

Please see the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority for chemical information http://www.apvma.gov.au

Does it have a biological control agent?

NO

When does it grow? (lifecycle/growth calendar)

Gallon's Curse is an annual grass that flowers in summer and winter, from January to August. It is propagated by seed, and the optimum temperature for seed germination was found to be 35 °C in a study in Africa (Weeds Society of Western Australia 1998; Brink 2006; Western Australian Herbarium 2008).

Where Is It Found?

Which states and territories is it found?

NT, QLD, WA

What areas within states and territories is it found?

Gallon's Curse is currently found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and in Queensland. In Western Australia it is a widespread weed of the western Kimberley, in pindan and vine thickets and along the Fitzroy River (Weeds Society of Western Australia 1998; Sharp & Simon 2002).

Where does it originate?

Gallon's Curse is found throughout tropical Africa, extending eastwards through Arabia and Iran to Pakistan and India. It has been introduced in North America and Australia (Brink 2006; Stieber & Wipff 2008).

National And State Weed Listings

Is it a Weed of National Significance (WONS)?

NO

Where is it a declared weed?

NSW, SA, WA

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Is it on the National Alert List for Environmental Weeds?

NO

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Is it on the Agricultural Sleeper List?

NO

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Names And Taxonomy

Main scientific name

Cenchrus biflorus

Other scientific names (synonyms)?

Does it have other known common name(s)?

Indian Sandbur