Stinkvine (Paederia foetida).
After you read this, you will be able to:
- Identify Stinkvine or Skunk Vine.
- Know the habitat of Stinkvine.
- Know the best cultural and chemical options to control Stinkvine or Skunk Vine.
How to Identify Stinkvine.
Category: Broadleaf (Dicot).
Photosynthetic Pathway: Skunk vine is a C3 weed.
Flower: Stinkvine flowers in late Summer to Autumn, and the flowers have white outsides and purple to red insides. The flowers have a funnel shape and are 7 to 11 mm long with a cover of soft hairs on their outsides.
Height: Skunk Vine has a prostrate growth habit.
Leaf length: The leaves have a heart shape and are 3 to 14 cm long, with round bases and have a pointed tip.
Leaf width: 2 to 5 cm wide.
Reproduction: Stinkvine reproduces by seed and stem fragments. Stem fragments root at the nodes, and are spread by people when they dump garden waste.
Comments: The green to dark green leaves of Stinkvine are on hairy stalks up to 2 to 5 cm long, and have a cover of sparse bristly hairs. The underneath of the leaves is light green and has veins, with bristly hairs along the edges.
When you crush the leaves they have a foul smell because of the sulphur-containing compound dimethyl disulphide.
Habitat: Stinkvine tolerates shade, and dry and wet conditions and this includes flood areas. Skunk Vine grows in a range of soil types including low nutrient soils, and acidic soils and saline conditions. After flooding Stinkvine remains alive when submersed for at least 192 days.
It has been found in gardens and parks, in sugar cane crops, along roadsides and in pastures.
For more information check out our weed ID Chart.
How to Control Stinkvine.
You can control this weed by cultural and chemical means.
Cultural Control of Stinkvine.
- Hand pull or dig out seedlings and small plants. This is easiest when the soil is damp and loose. Try and remove as much of the roots as possible, and do not leave any Stinkvine stems in contact with the soil as they regrow.
Chemical Control of Stinkvine:
There are very few chemical control options for this weed. Herbicides are the effective method to control Stinkvine as long as you make multiple treatments to counter any regrowth. The best time to treat is in the Spring or Summer when it is actively growing.
- Glyphosate (Rapid Fire 800) on Permit 9907, and triclopyr, give >90% control across all growth stages at 4 months after treatment with no re-growth.
- Aminopyralid controls Stinkvine in the US.
- In NSW wiping Metsulfuron at 10 g per 1 L of water plus surfactant onto the leaves is recommended for this weed.
Non Selective Control of Stinkvine.
- Glufosinate-ammonium provides control for 4 to 6 weeks, but it regrows and recovers due to the limited movement of glufosinate.
- Glyphosate. You can use Glyphosate but if you use Glyphosate, and water quality is an issue then use ProForce Manta Ray.
