Fears of ‘weed highways’ as summer rains spread invasive plants through rural Australia

Floods and extreme weather causing greater spread of seeds, buds and roots, while weed spraying interrupted by rain and wind

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Posters of Cowra's most wanted hang from a fence near the shopping centre. The fugitives are invasive plants: fire weed, Chilean needle grass, parthenium and sticky nightshade. The descriptions are lengthy and the instructions clear: anyone who has seen the offending plants is to contact the authorities.

The posters show the big hitters in the New South Wales central west, but the national wanted list is long. There are 398 invasive plants in the Australia-wide online weed database, of which 32 are considered weeds of national significance".