Form: herbaceous — annual
Status: present in WA
Native to the south-western United States.
Appearance
Erect low growing annual herb 20-50 centimetres high.
Stems: branched, hollow, covered with glandular hairs which exude a slimy sticky sap.
Leaves: rounded to heart shaped 5-25 centimetres across, arranged in opposite pairs, covered with glandular hairs which exude a slimy sticky sap. Leaf stalks 20 centimetres long.
Flowers: creamy white to mauve or purple flowers, spotted with dark purple and orange. Trumpet shaped 2.5-5 centimetres long and 5-7.5 centimetres in diameter.
Fruit: a bulbous capsule containing numerous seed. The curved beak is longer than the body of the fruit. The fruit is 8-30 centimetres long. Brown or black with a roughened pitted surface.
Seeds: black or grey strongly wrinkled, variable in shape, about 10 millimetres long and six millimetres wide.
Growers involved in hay cutting and baling operations during spring/summer should keep an eye out for Purple flowered devil’s claw plants around water and moist areas. |
Online weed identification training
Login or set up a new account on DPIRDs online training site to access:
- a training course on how to identify purple flowered devil's claw and report it.
- training material that you can use to teach community groups how to identify purple flowered devil's claw.
Agricultural and economic impact
Purple flower devil’s claw prefers to grow in summer irrigated horticultural crops and in cotton. The woody fruits interfere with harvesting and can damage machinery. If it became established in an area with livestock, the sharp claws could cause serious injuries, however its preferred habitat it river flats and horticultural crops.
Declared pest category
The Western Australian Organism List (WAOL) contains information on the area(s) in which this pest is declared and the control and keeping categories to which it has been assigned in Western Australia (WA). Search for purple flower devil's claw in the WAOL using the scientific name Proboscidea louisianica.
Requirements for land owners/occupiers and other persons
Requirements for land owners/occupiers and other persons if this pest is found can be sourced through the declared plant requirements link.
Search > detect > report
MyPestGuide™ Reporter | Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS) |
Detectability: medium difficulty to find. Purple flower devil’s claw is very distinctive when flowering and fruiting, however it could possibly be confused with a cucurbit prior to flowering. Purple flower devil’s claw can be distinguished from cucurbits because it is covered in sticky hairs.
Any plants with similar fruits are likely to be declared species that should be reported, for example, yellow flower devil’s claw (Ibicella lutea) and smallfruit devil’s claw (Martynia annua) which are both found in other states.
Who is likely to find it: members of the general public, market gardeners and other horticulturists (especially in Carnarvon), carnivorous plant enthusiasts, perhaps permaculturists or people who grow ‘natural’ foods, as the immature fruits are edible.
When to find it: purple flower devil’s claw is a summer-growing plant. It is most likely to be found when mature plants are flowering and fruiting, in February-April.
Where to find it: purple flower devil’s claw is most likely to be found in Carnarvon as it has been found there before, and grows in summer irrigated vegetable crops.
Control method
Control methods for this declared plant can be found through the purple flower devil's claw control link.