Prickly problem: Council working hard to nip invasive weed in the bud

Published 27 April 2026

• Tropical soda apple – a highly invasive weed that poses a serious risk to pastures, crops, horticulture and natural areas – has been detected on several properties at Stony Creek and Neurum and on one site at Morayfield 
• Council biosecurity officers are working with landholders to identify, assist with treatment options and remove the nightmare weed as part of efforts to prevent it from spreading further

Investigation efforts have identified Tropical soda apple (solanum viarum) or TSA on several properties in Stony Creek and Neurum and one site at Morayfield as part of efforts to eradicate the weed before it becomes a major risk. 

The species spreads rapidly, with the potential to infest an entire hectare of land within six months, preventing livestock from accessing water and shade, if left unchecked. 

Mayor Peter Flannery said Council’s biosecurity officers were working with landholders to eradicate the nightmare weed, providing education on identification, spread mechanisms and assisting to make property management plans. 

“We identified 40 properties along Stony Creek and the Lower Stanley River where we believed TSA could be growing,” he said. 

“Our biosecurity officers have inspected all of these properties and found TSA on 18 of them. 

“This included an area at Stony Creek where a large number of plants were detected. Council has supported these landholders with their TSA management programs aiming to eradicate the weed. 

“Council is concerned TSA, a prohibited invasive plant under Queensland’s Biosecurity Act, may become established so our biosecurity officers are supplying direction to landholders on how to identify, treat and remove the weed which can pose a serious risk to pastures, horticulture, natural areas, crops, livestock and even humans.” 

Tropical soda apple is a perennial shrub with yellow fruit and white flowers which grows up to 2 metres tall and has sharp thorn-like prickles up to 12mm long. The sharp prickles can injure people and animals, and the plant has the potential to become so dense that it prevents livestock from accessing shade and water. 

The weed, which is native to South America, can displace native plants and hosts various plant viruses that damage fruit and vegetable crops, such as potato, tomato and eggplant. The fruit that grows on the weed can even be poisonous to humans when eaten in large quantities.

Mayor Flannery said TSA was first detected in the Stony Creek area by a contractor for another organisation who was familiar with the weed, having previously worked in NSW where the plant is more common. The contractor uploaded a photo of the plant to the iNaturalist app, which confirmed it as TSA. 

“The weed’s seeds are usually spread by animals that feed on the fruit,” Mayor Flannery said. 

“In this case, we believe the weed may have be spread to the Stony Creek area by cattle that had consumed tropical soda apple from an infestation elsewhere, possibly in NSW, although it’s impossible to know for sure. 

“It is unclear how the weeds got to the Morayfield detection site, which is independent of the Stony Creek finding. Investigations are underway with conclusions yet to be determined.”

In Florida – which has a similar climate to southern Queensland – the weed spread so quickly it infested more than half a million hectares in just five years and costs landowners millions of dollars each year. 

Tropical soda apple is a prohibited invasive plant under the Queensland Biosecurity Act 2014. Members of the community must report sightings immediately to Biosecurity Queensland either online, by calling Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23 or the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.