Tortured willow

• Short single-trunk tree up to 15m tall.
• Leaves are 5–13cm long, 1–2.5cm wide.
• Flower spikes are up to 2cm long.
• Catkins (flowers) are female.
• Stems are twisted.

• Found along banks of rivers and creeks.

• Not known to exist outside gardens in Queensland.

• Flowers in spring.
• Catkins (flowers) appear with first leaves after winter.

Environmental

• Invades watercourses, riverbanks and creekbanks.
• Potential to cause stream management problems and reduce watercourse environmental value.

• Spread by broken twigs taking root downstream.
• Easily broken branches provide material for vegetative spread.

• Find out how farmers can prevent weed spread.
• Find out how gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts can prevent weed spread.

Effective control of willow trees can be achieved through a combination of mechanical and herbicide treatments, or by herbicide treatment alone. Choose control methods to suit your particular situation. All treated areas must be periodically checked and any regrowth treated, or the initial treatment efforts will be wasted. Follow-up must be undertaken to ensure a successful control program.

Mechanical control

• Cut down individual trees.
• Burn all stems and branches (if permitted) as they can grow into new trees

Herbicide control

Cut stump treatment

• Cut stems off horizontally as close to ground as possible and immediately (within 15 seconds) swab or spray cut surfaces and associated stem with herbicide mixture.

Stem injection treatment

• Make axe cuts at 5–7cm intervals all around stem (or stems), allowing undamaged bark between cuts.
• Make cuts below first branch and at an angle of approximately 30° to stem. Immediately inject up to 1mL of herbicide solution per cut, allowing solution to cover cut surfaces on both bark and tree.

Biological control

No known biological control agents.

• Tortured willow is a category 3 restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014.
• You must not give away, sell or release tortured willow into the environment. Penalties may apply.
• You must take all reasonable and practical measures to minimise the biosecurity risks associated with dealing with tortured willow under your control. This is called a general biosecurity obligation (GBO).
• At a local level, each local government agency must have a biosecurity plan that covers invasive plants in its area. This plan may include actions to be taken on tortured willow. Some of these actions may be required under local laws. Contact your local council for more information.