Weed of the Month – March 2015

COASTAL GALENIA

(Galenia pubescens)

(Photos: E. Cousins; growth habit, close-up of leaves and flowers)

There are some patches of coastal galenia near the start of the Heysen Trail at Cape Jervis. They occur as flat, sprawling patches about 1-2 metres across. The oval-shaped leaves are very small; like the stems, newer ones are covered in fine hairs, which you might be able to see in the second photo. You’ll also see tiny flowers at the leaf junctions. These are white, possibly with a pink tinge at the start, but turn yellow as they age. The leaves are normally a sage-green colour, but summer stress has changed the ones shown to a reddish-brown in places! Galenia is a common environmental weed around the coast of SA. It likes sandy soils and disturbed sites… in the photo above, the clumps are on a path!  It can be difficult to eradicate when established.