The vibrant tropical daisy and ornamental flower Gazania rigens has turned invasive in south Australia, with control costs hitting millions.
An ability to survive in diverse soils and dry conditions has aided the shrub to spread on roadsides, dells and even cereal farms.
Currently on sale by the local nursery Bunnings and online stores, the ornamental plant is nevertheless increasingly attracting production curbs.
Researcher M. Adnan of the La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food (LISAF) especially noted the high adaptational resilience of Gazania seeds.
The protea plant first landed from South Africa in the 1950s but now pervades the Australian west and south.
It is among invasive ornamental plants that are costing Aussie farmers A$5 billion ($3.34 billion) annually to control via pesticides.
Although south Australia banned it in early 2021, it has not received a conclusive national control mechanism. The Invasive Species Council did however in June 2025 suggest a national ban to save grain fields from weed encroachment.
Warehouse director of merchandise at Bunnings, Cam Rist, remarks that they sell the daisy only where there are no regulations.
Apart from the southeastern state of Victoria where the shrub is under classification of being highly invasive, most other states have no sale restrictions.
Nurseries sell them as either seeds or seedlings, which grow to 20 cm tall and espouse silvery foliage with vibrant bloom.
So, as the Gazania ornamental flower loses its fabled worth of the past, what next for it? The statistics below explore the wider Aussie wildflowers and cut flowers sector.
Australia Gazania and Ornamental Flower Statistics
Australia accounts for around 1% of the global flower trade for potted plants, ornamentals (wildflowers), cut flowers and foliage. According to the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPI), 95% of exports are either native species or naturalised protea. One of these last category is gazania (Gazania rigens), originally from South Africa.
Are wild flowers like Gazania important economically in Australia?
According to a University of Queensland study, 10 to 20% of Aussie cut blooms constitute wildflowers. Apart from gazania, there are Banksia, Christmas Bush, some acacia species and Kangaroo Paw. A DPI study shows that wildflowers garner an average annual export value of A$50 million ($32.4 million).
What were the export and import trade values of Aussie cut flowers from 2017 to 2019?
Cut and ornamental flowers exports by Australia rose from A$9.7 million ($6.28 million) in 2017 to A$10.1 million ($6.54 million) in 2019. Imports on the other hand ranged from A$66.8 million ($43.2 million) in 2017 to A$77.3 million ($50 million) in 2019.