Soliva sessilis
Encyclopedia
Soliva sessilis, one of up to nine species of the genus Soliva, is a low-growing herbaceous
annual plant
. Its common names include lawnweed, common soliva, Onehunga weed, and field burrweed. It is one of several plants known as bindi weed, bindii, or bindi-eye. Botanical synonyms include Soliva daucifolia Nutt. and Soliva pterosperma (Juss.) Less.
A weed
y plant known for its tiny sharp-needled seeds. It appears with small feathery leaves reminiscent of parsley
, with an exposed upward-pointing rosette of seeds in a pod nestled at the branch junctions. Eventually small bright flowers appear if the plant is allowed to develop. Those familiar with the plant may also know it as a "bindi patches", which can't be walked on barefoot. Dogs and cats are no less affected and tend to avoid areas where they have encountered it.
Originally native to South America, the plant is now well established in many places around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, California, and several other states in the United States. It is mainly found in parks and ovals, though it has become an obnoxious scourge of lawns in the southeast U.S.
Bindi weed can be treated with herbicide
, or manually removed. Late winter and early spring are the best times to destroy the weed before its seeds germinate. Effective herbicides are typically combinations of MCPA
and Dicamba
, which target broad-leaved plants but not grasses. These chemicals have similar effects as natural plant auxin
s, and their increased concentrations cause unnatural plant growth which kill the plant. Mowing grass
to a higher level will allow more competitive plants to thrive in the area. Bindi weed also favours compacted ground, so aerating the soil should also reduce the presence of the plant.
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
annual plant
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
. Its common names include lawnweed, common soliva, Onehunga weed, and field burrweed. It is one of several plants known as bindi weed, bindii, or bindi-eye. Botanical synonyms include Soliva daucifolia Nutt. and Soliva pterosperma (Juss.) Less.
A weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
y plant known for its tiny sharp-needled seeds. It appears with small feathery leaves reminiscent of parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
, with an exposed upward-pointing rosette of seeds in a pod nestled at the branch junctions. Eventually small bright flowers appear if the plant is allowed to develop. Those familiar with the plant may also know it as a "bindi patches", which can't be walked on barefoot. Dogs and cats are no less affected and tend to avoid areas where they have encountered it.
Originally native to South America, the plant is now well established in many places around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, California, and several other states in the United States. It is mainly found in parks and ovals, though it has become an obnoxious scourge of lawns in the southeast U.S.
Bindi weed can be treated with herbicide
Herbicide
Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...
, or manually removed. Late winter and early spring are the best times to destroy the weed before its seeds germinate. Effective herbicides are typically combinations of MCPA
MCPA
MCPA or 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid is a powerful, selective, widely-used phenoxy herbicide. The pure compound is a brown-colored powder.-History:...
and Dicamba
Dicamba
Dicamba is an herbicide. Brand names for formulations of this herbicide include Banvel, Oracle and Vanquish...
, which target broad-leaved plants but not grasses. These chemicals have similar effects as natural plant auxin
Auxin
Auxins are a class of plant hormones with some morphogen-like characteristics. Auxins have a cardinal role in coordination of many growth and behavioral processes in the plant's life cycle and are essential for plant body development. Auxins and their role in plant growth were first described by...
s, and their increased concentrations cause unnatural plant growth which kill the plant. Mowing grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
to a higher level will allow more competitive plants to thrive in the area. Bindi weed also favours compacted ground, so aerating the soil should also reduce the presence of the plant.