LAMB’S TONGUE

Lamb's Tongue, Scleroblitum atriplicinum, is annual or short-lived perennial. Widespread colonizing species of the inland on clay and clay-loams. Often abundant after high rainfall or flooding. Lamb's Tongue is an upright succulent herb, to 50 cm high but usually much shorter. Green or purple-tinged narrow leaves to 8 mm long, sometimes with mealy white patches. Tiny white flowers in dense clusters at the junction of leaves and stem. Fruiting body whitish when ripe, 3 mm long, pericarp thick and hard.

In Victoria, it is considered a potential threat to two plant species listed under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Diuris dendrobioides [as Diuris cuneata] (Wedge Diuris) and (Cullen parvum)
It is sometimes considered a useful fodder species, especially the young growth which is readily eaten by stock, particularly sheep (DPIW 2002). However, it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can be toxic to livestock. Consumption of the plant can result in chronic liver damage and mortality, especially if substantial amounts are eaten over prolonged periods (Auld & Medd 1987; Piggin & Sheppard 1995). Deaths of animals due to plant toxicity are rare and can be avoided with good pasture and livestock management
Human and livestock contact with the abrasive hairs on the plant can cause dermatitis, itching and inflammation (Auld & Medd 1987; Piggin & Sheppard 1995). It can also trigger hayfever (Naughton et al. 2006). Nationwide it has been estimated that 33 million ha of land is infested with Paterson's Curse (Faithfull & McLaren 2004) and that the total cost of Paterson's Curse to Australia's sheep and cattle producers is estimated at $250 million per year

it is widely naturalised and often abundant throughout south-western Western Australia, central and southern South Australia, south-eastern Queensland, central and southern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania (Piggin & Sheppard 1995). In the Northern Territory, it has been recorded between Alice Springs and the South Australia/Northern Territory border, where it is mainly confined to areas of roadside along the Stuart Highway

Spray FireHawk Bioherbicide Concentrate: 50 mL/L of water. Respray when regrowth occurs from roots and/or runners. May require repeated application to obtain long-term weed control.