Title: Wind-aided seed dispersal of Perennial Veld Grass (Ehrharta calycina): Implications for restoration in weedy urban bushland remnants
Summary: Perennial Veld Grass (Ehrharta calycina Smith) (Poaceae) is a native of South Africa that has successfully invaded Banksia woodlands in southwestern Australia. This article investigates the dispersal distance by wind of Perennial Veld Grass seeds to establish guidelines on minimum buffer zones around restoration sites within which it should be controlled to prevent reinvasion. It was recommended that testoration projects with mature Perennial Veld Grass plants within or adjacent to the site would benefit from including a buffer zone of at least 4.5 m between the Perennial Veld Grass and any vulnerable native areas. This buffer zone should be checked annually and sprayed with a grass-selective herbicide (fluazifop-p-butyl) during the growing season (prior to seeding) to prevent invasion or reinvasion through wind dispersal. In Perth, annual treatment is considered sufficient as seed set occurs only once a year in its prevailing Mediterranean climate. In other areas, or with a changing climate, this may require reconsideration. It is also imperative that where humans are entering restoration sites, they are checked for seed adhering to clothing or equipment. Rabbit control programmes are essential for protecting seedlings from both restoration plantings and natural recruitment, but may also reduce the risk of Perennial Veld Grass reinvading restoration sites if rabbits are indeed a dispersal vector. [Wittkuhn, R. S. (2010). Wind-aided seed dispersal of Perennial Veld Grass (Ehrharta calycina): Implications for restoration in weedy urban bushland remnants. Ecological Management & Restoration, 11(2) 148–150. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-8903.2010.00536.x]