Ecology of Chondrilla Juncea L. in South-Eastern Australia

Chondrilla juncea (skeleton weed) was first identified in Australia on a property near Wagga Wagga in New South Wales (Tindale 1954). It spread at an average rate of more than 15 miles (24 km) per annum throughout the wheat belt of south-eastern Australia over the next 40 years and, within the last decade, has been recorded as isolated colonies in southern Queensland, Western Australia and at Ceduna in South Australia (Fig. 2). In some districts primary spread appears to have been by road and rail, following stock movements and the transport of hay and seeds; in other districts infestation appears to have been solely from paddock to paddock.