African feather grass is a tussock-like grass that forms thick clumps up to 2m high. It produces a lot of seeds that are easily spread by wind and carried on clothing.
The plant crowds out valuable grazing land, leading to decreased productivity, which could affect Otago’s environment and economy if it spreads rapidly, according to the Otago Regional Council, which said it was responding ‘‘with urgency to this infestation and treating it as a priority to get it cleared’’.
The incursion was first reported to the council by a concerned member of the public and a biosecurity team visited the location in coastal East Otago to take a sample, which was later sent to a lab for confirmation.
All plants will be removed from the site and the wider area is being surveyed until the council is confident the plant is gone.
The environmental delivery portfolio lead, Cr Robbie Byars, said it was ‘‘critical to get on top of weeds like African feather grass early before any risk of it spreading’’.
