Cape weed is a small South African plant that has become a pest in Australia and other places. Its leaves are green above and cottony-white beneath. The plant produces masses of attractive lemon-yellow, daisylike flower heads with dark centers. Cape weed grows and spreads so rapidly that it can smother and destroy crops over large areas. Farmers kill the plant by spraying it with a special weedkiller while it is young. This spray does not affect grasses.
Cape weed was introduced from South Africa to Australia in the early 1800’s. It was naturalized in Western Australia in 1833. It is now common on good pastureland and cultivated fields in New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania.
