Three Gingers banned in Queensland
After Issue 21 was printed, the Qld government released this announcement – so if you see an image on 65, please take this into consideration.
Three newly declared weed species – yellow, white and kahili ginger are now illegal to sell or trade in Queensland.
Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries, Rural and Regional Queensland Tim Mulherin said Queenslanders were being asked to look out for these ornamental ginger plants and help stop their spread.
“The news that ginger is a problem plant may be a surprise for some people,” Mr Mulherin said.
“Ginger has been around for a long time and is common in backyard gardens, but yellow, white and kahili ginger can suppress or replace native plants and they pose a real threat to our national parks and forests.
“These ginger plants already cause serious problems in countries such as Hawaii, New Zealand and South Africa and we need to act now before these weeds become widespread in Queensland.”
Mr Mulherin said it is important to know what to look for.
“The newly declared weed species are ornamental plants, not the food producing variety,” he said.
“Yellow ginger is not known to be established in the wild and has been declared a Class 1 weed to prevent this happening.
“Landowners are now responsible for ensuring their land is free from yellow ginger.
“If you have yellow ginger in the garden, be sure to remove and dispose of it properly – don’t dump it in bushland where it can spread.
“Dig out the entire plant including the roots, place it in a black garbage bag, secure the top and leave it in the sun for two days before placing it in a garbage bin.
“White and kahili ginger are Class 3 weeds. This means landholders adjacent to environmentally significant areas (such as national parks) must control these weeds on their property.
“It is important people can distinguish between yellow, white and kahili ginger from other varieties of ginger plants sold in Australia.”
What to look for:
Yellow ginger (Hedychium flavescens) - CLASS 1
- fragrant yellow or yellow-white flowers
- attractive flower spikes 15-20cm long
- grows between 1-2m tall
White ginger (Hedychium coronarium) – CLASS 3
- fragrant white flowers
- attractive flower spikes 10-20cm long
- grows between 1-3m tall
Kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum) – CLASS 3
- lemon-yellow flowers with red stamens arranged as a spike 12-45 cm long
- flowers turn into orange coloured seed pods
- pods open to reveal bright red mature seed heads
- grows between 1-2m tall.
Under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002 penalties now apply for selling or trading yellow, kahili and white ginger in Queensland.
If you see these weeds for sale in Queensland contact Biosecurity Queensland on
13 25 23. For more information, visit www.biosecurity.qld.gov.au or call your local council.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for this info. I have a number of ginger plants – love the perfume and look in the garden. Are these 3 the only noxious weed? I live in NSW at Lake Cathie, but I am very conscious of the possible destruction any plant may cause if not controlled. Why is this plant ‘on the list’?
Hi Pam, These are ‘banned’ in QLD… a stupid rule.. but a rule non-the-less.
These species are VERY hard to grow where I live and impossible to become a weed in my local district but the are banned for the whole state.
They are not banned in NSW.
If you climate is always humid, always well mulched, basically a rainforest, then you may have a problem.