Old Man's Beard

Old man's beard is a vigorous pest plant that poses an ecological threat to native vegetation in parts of Marlborough. It typically grows and invades the edges of native vegetation and competes with regenerating vegetation for light and nutrients.

It spreads both vegetatively and through seeds which travel readily by wind and water and are viable for five to 10 years in the ground. This means that any control must be ongoing for a long period of time.

Old man's beard control provides a conundrum on farms, as in some situations stock are controlling the weed through grazing, while at the same time damaging native vegetation and preventing regeneration. Fencing stock out of areas needs to be coupled with an effective old man's beard control programme in these cases.

A research project carried out by Council in the South Marlborough area has identified the main distribution of old man's beard in the South Marlborough area. While it is widespread, there are also many areas free of infestation.

The weed prefers good light, some moisture and is more likely to occur and establish on the fertile mudstones and alluvial gravel plains than the less fertile greywacke derived soils. It spreads mostly through waterways, and sometimes by wind, although spread through human activity such as gravel extraction and on machinery is also significant. A summary of this report or the full report is available below:

 Old man's beard - final report (234 Kb)

 Old man's beard - summary report June 2004 (97 Kb)

The Council does not currently carry out any control of old man's beard although it is listed as a surveillance plant in the Regional Pest Management Strategy. Council is considering ways it could help landowners with old mans beard control in badly affected catchments and in areas where landowners are protecting ecologically significant sites.

An information brochure outlining control options for old man's beard is available:

 Old man's beard (Clematis vitalba) (806 Kb)