The Otago Regional Council recently granted Seek Weeds and Terminate (SWAT), under the umbrella of Save the Otago Peninsula, almost $36,000 for pest plant control on the peninsula.
Swat member Moira Parker said Darwin’s barberry originated in Chile and Argentina and was brought to New Zealand for hedging.
"Unfortunately, it ‘jumped the fence’ with the help of bird-dispersed seeds and has been deemed a pest plant since the 1940s."
The bush has prickly leaves and spines at the base of the leaves.
These sharp points mean wildlife do not eat it, pests avoid it, and pastoral animals leave it alone.
Mrs Parker said Darwin’s barberry can grow as high as three to four metres.
The hardy nature of the bush means it can crowd out native plant species.
A bush in the area cut down recently had a diameter of 40cm and was about 80 years old.
One of the areas of the greatest concentration is at Pukehiki, on either side of the main road.
The funds from the regional council will enable the group to engage the services of an experienced contractor to spend about two weeks working to eradicate it from that area.
Options can include cutting back the bush to a stump, then coating the stump with herbicide.
Another option is applying a herbicide mixture that can be absorbed by the roots and eventually kills the plant.
Mrs Parker said the group were very pleased to be able to do this work and were grateful for the funding that they had received.
Darwin’s barberry has been a problem in the area for some time, but the hope is by doing this work the pest plant will be closer to being completely eradicated from the peninsula.
