be removed or it will regrow. In less prolific areas, manual removal is less difficult as the plant roots come up easily, and an initial clearance can be accomplished by raking the area. Repeated efforts at intervals of a few months along with regular monitoring for invasion from neighbouring areas will be necessary for full control. Combined chemical-manual control In view of the persistence of the plant and the cost of chemical treatment plus the negative effect on other species, especially in regions where it is a pest, a combination of an initial chemical treatment followed by manual removal for the second or possibly third treatment is worth considering. Nevertheless, absolutely scrupulous attention to the removal of every single piece of the stems from both above and below the surface is required before elimination can be assured. Small-scale control using livestock There are anecdotal reports of using browsing animals (e.g. sheep) to control the plant. Heavy stocking is suggested to ensure all the infestation is consumed, and as with other methods, ongoing monitoring is required to ensure no scraps of plant material have survived to re-infest the area. For residential properties, chickens are an excellent method to control and remove Tradescantia fluminensis, as they will feed on all parts of the plant. Biological Control CSIRO has been testing biological control with the leaf-smut fungus Kordyana brasiliensis, in New South Wales and the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria since 2019. References External links Standard Data Report: Tradescantia fluminensis – Integrated Taxonomic Information System Taxonomy Browser: Tradescantia fluminensis – National Center for Biotechnology Information (US National Institutes of Health) Garden plants Flora naturalised in Australia fluminensis Flora of South America Plants described in 1829 Invasive plant species in Australia