Cabomba Distribution and Weed Status
- NT map of cabomba (pdf 538Kb).
Origin
Cabomba is considered native to southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northeast Argentina. It may also be native to southeast USA.
Global
Cabomba can tolerate a wide variety of climates. In addition to the countries listed above, cabomba has been recorded in Malaysia, India, Japan, China, Panama, New Guinea and Australia. It has been dispersed at a global scale by the aquarium trade. It is considered to be a weed in most of the countries listed.
Australia
Cabomba was first recorded in Australia in 1967, although its date of introduction may have been earlier. It is present in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and the Northern Territory. It is classed as a weed in all Australian states and Territories. In 1999, cabomba was listed as one of Australia’s 20 Weeds of National Significance (WONS).
Northern Territory
Cabomba was traded through the aquarium industry for some time before being declared a weed in the NT. Its declaration as a Class A (to be eradicated) and a Class C (not to be introduced into the NT) weed in 1997 followed the discovery of a large cabomba infestation at Marlow Lagoon in Palmerston. The declaration means that no person in the NT can buy, sell, import, possess or transport cabomba without a permit. The Marlow Lagoon infestation was eradicated in 2002.
In October 2004, a new cabomba infestation was found at Darwin River, approximately 40 km south of Darwin. The infestation is just 6 km downstream from Darwin River Dam which supplies Darwin with its potable water. This is the only known cabomba infestation in the NT. The infestation at Darwin River consists of four separate populations along a 9 km section of river, with the separate infestations varying in length from 20 m to 2.2 km.
If left to spread, cabomba could eventually establish in all permanent freshwater bodies in the Top End. Slow moving waters with silty soils and a pH less than 8 are particularly prone (e.g. floodplain and backflow billabongs).
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