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Why does the Rock Needlebush - Hakea gibbosa leak gum
I was recently walking through that infamous Rock Needlebush - Ha gibbosa forest on the north
slopes of Vlakkenberg, just south of Constantia Neck. I noticed that most of the plants
had gum oozing out of them. Do you know what the cause of this might be? Could the
indigenous fungus that attacks Hakea sericea be responsible?
The Vlakkenberg Ha gibbosa population is moribund and will make one ...BIG...
bonfire one day). However, it would be nice to have something to control this species.
Could we spread the gum to Hermanus – would it help in controlling this pest? Nigel
Forshaw, Oakridge
The Needlebushes produce gum from damaged or injured bark. In Ha sericea this is often associated with the fungus Colletotrichum (see PAN 40.11), and the amount of gum is a good indication of the degree of fungal attack. The gum you supplied from Ha gibbosa is certainly produced in quantities far greater than found in Ha sericea, but the cause of the secretion could be wind or human damage, rather than insect or fungal attack. Spreading the gum will not help controlling this Needlebush. However, if the gum secretion is caused by a fungus, it may contain fungal spores, but these will now be imbedded within the gum and application of the spores onto new plants will be a problem. For your gum to be any hope in the control of this Needlebush, the "oozing" plants will have to die soon. Please keep us informed!
Tony Rebelo
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