Aussies have been urged to pick large bunches of a "pretty" yet "menacing" weed that is running rampant in native bushland and driving homeowners mad.
A Western Australian council worker warned residents this week not to be fooled by the beautiful pink gladioli currently springing into bloom on properties and roadside reserves across the northern agricultural region, about two hours north of Perth.
"Do the native bushland a favour and pick a bunch or 10," the Moore Catchment Council employee posted online alongside photos of the problematic plant thriving in the remote area.
Homeowners and keen gardeners from around the state were quick to back up the worker's plea, with many noting they were sad to see how much the garden escapee had taken over native spaces and backyards.
"These are so widespread now and so hard to control," one person said.
"I have been battling these gladioli on my block near Perth for years," a man explained, adding that despite also removing the plant's corm -- a swollen, underground stem that stores energy and nutrients -- he is "getting nowhere".
Others said they had seen the species on their properties, but thought they were wildflowers.
One woman recalled recently spotting a bus load of tourists admiring bunches of pink gladioli near a rest stop. Travellers from all over the country and world have flocked to the state in recent months to catch a glimpse of the thousands of native plants that come into bloom every year.
Pink gladiolus, otherwise known as wild gladiolus or Gladiolus caryophyllaceus, is originally from South Africa and was introduced to Australia as a garden plant many decades ago.
"Pink gladioli were deliberately planted into Western Australia's bush in the 1890s by the WA Acclimatisation Society to 'make it more pretty'," Imogen Ebsworth with the Invasive Species Council told Yahoo News, adding the fast-growing ornamental now outcompetes native wildflowers "and threatens WA's globally-significant biodiversity".
"It's a stark reminder of how good intentions can go spectacularly wrong."
Botanist and weed expert Greg Keighery told Yahoo that while the species is also present on Australia's east coast, it is only recognised as a weed in WA, however it hasn't been officially declared.
Due to its origin, pink gladiolus is preadapted to Australia's sandy soils and climate, he explained. They renew from a corm each year, and the "sickly sweet smelling flowers" are stimulated by bushfires.
"The species is still actively spreading in WA now around Busselton, [it] turned up at Lake Grace and is spreading north and east of Perth," Keighery said. "Removing new infestations is a high priority for any bush lovers."
The plant is a major threat to the conservation values of banksia woodlands and the Swan Coastal Plain, according to the Urban Bushland Council WA Inc.
To remove small groups of the plant, the easiest solution is to pull them out of the ground, ensuring the corm has also been removed. The Moore Catchment Council recommends leaving the corm in a plastic bag in the sun for a few days before popping it in the general rubbish bin.
Individual leaves can be wiped with glyphosate 10% from July to September, while dense infestations in degraded areas can be sprayed with a 1% glyphosate.