Our biosecurity can be affected in different ways, often by the actions of people who do not intend to do harm, sometimes by deliberate flouting of biosecurity laws. Some plants that are now a risk to different environments around the country were initially brought into Australia as garden plants.

Mexican Feather Grass is a dense, upright tussock which grows to about 70cm high. The leaves are round and feature needles with small serrations that can be felt when you run your fingers down a blade of the grass. Mature plants form seed on a long flower stalk. The seeds have a pointed head and long bent tail which look like a feather when all bunched together.

The grass is attractive, drought tolerant and very similar to other grasses that are widely used in roadside and public space planting. It is also increasingly popular for private gardens because of it's low maintenance and drought resistant qualities.

Early in 2008, Mexican Feather Grass plants were sold by large chain stores, labelled as varieties of Stipa, a similar grass. The seeds were imported to Australia by a plant wholesaler, incorrectly labelled at the place of origin in the USA. The grasses were included in special Mothers' Day promotions, planted in pretty pots with other flowering plants. An eagle eyed DPI staff member spotted the Mexican Feather Grass, and once identification was confirmed, the hunt was on.

Stores published product recall notices. The media alerted people to the risk and widespread searches were conducted to track down all the plants. It is estimated that around 4000 plants were supplied to those stores in 4 and 1/2 months, but plants were also distributed and sold through other plant outlets. By September this year over 70% of the plants had been recovered and destroyed, however it is estimated there are still over 3000 out there.

If Mexican Feather Grass escaped and became widely established, it could invade up to 14 million hectares of Australia. This grass resembles Serrated Tussock which is Australia's worst pasture weed, costing more than $50 million in weed control costs and lost production.