Weed Potential
As a weedthe Bungle Lily is a highly invasive plant that is cultivated in cottage gardens and can infest a variety of habitats including woodlands, heath and margins of watercourses particularly in and around townships.

The plant produces a new corm above the parent corm and the foliage appears during winter followed by flowers from mid to late spring producing no seeds but bulbils are produced in the upper nodes during late spring.

When the foliage dies off over summer the bulbils are dispersed. New plants may not produce flowers for up to 3 years and the plant is long lived. It grows in full sun to semi shade preferring moist organic rich soils but will tolerate drier conditions.

Large clumps inhibit the regrowth of low growing or upper-story indigenous flora. It is dispersed primarily by corms and bulbils. The bulbils may be spread by water, soil or in garden waste and may also be spread when disturbed during removal of an infestation.

Control methodsinclude physically digging the plants out in moist friable soil taking care not disturb the corms and bulbils. Foliage and stem bulbils should be bagged before digging out the corms and removing off site.

Bulbil production can be prevented by slashing the plant to a height of 150mm (6in) from the ground during early spring. The plants may also be sprayed or wick-wiped with a non-selective herbicide before the flower stems develop.