Siam weed is considered one of the world’s most invasive
weeds. It has the potential to spread across northern
Australia and down the eastern and western coastlines.
Siam weed is a perennial that can out-compete and
smother crops and native vegetation because of its
phenomenal growth rate (20 mm per day or 5 m per year)
and ability to scramble up taller plants to a height of 20 m.
Siam weed threatens the grazing industry, agricultural
production systems (particularly horticultural crops
such as bananas, pawpaw and sugarcane) and forestry
plantations.
Siam weed also has the potential to seriously degrade
large areas of the wet tropics, dry tropic savannah
grasslands, subtropical and coastal regions, and
ecologically important conservation areas.