Miconia calvescens

Miconia calvescens

Miconia calvescens is a flowering plant in the family of the Black Mouth family ( Melastomataceae ). She is originally from the Neotropics, it is known as an aggressive but a neophyte in the Pacific Islands Hawaii and Tahiti.

Description

This evergreen tree can reach heights of growth of up to 15 meters. He has very large leaves, which can be up to one meter long. The upper leaf surface is green, the underside purple and whitish Blattaderung has the typical for this family form.

This Miconia species can bloom several times a year and also at the same time to bear fruit. The inflorescences are large and bright pink colored. The filled with many seeds berry-like fruits are purple in color and have a diameter of about half a centimeter. The fruits are sweet and therefore attract many birds that contribute to its spread.

Ecological significance and status

The color scheme made ​​this plant attractive mid-20th century as an ornamental plant, which is why it has been introduced in Hawaii and other regions. After she had but gained a foothold in the humid tropical rainforest, it spread incessantly, so that it is now become a real threat to local ecosystems. In Hawaii, the plant also why they are called the " purple plague ".

This and the large seed production make Miconia calvescens to a very strong competitor to the respective propagation native flora. The spread on the soil seed drive them out, as soon as light falls through the dense canopy of the rainforest. When the plant is fully grown, prevent their large shadow-casting sheets that other plants can grow in their vicinity. That's not very deep root system thus permits a faster erosion; whole hillsides are already slipped because give Miconia plants the floor no support and other trees with deeper roots have been displaced.

In Hawaii, the first stocks of Miconia were discovered calvescens the early 1990s, and since the aggressiveness of the plant was already known, began immediately with actions and programs to control its spread. Reforestation and the use of herbicides should help, but the biological control can not keep up with the speed of propagation. Often actions take place volunteers who pull into the jungle to remove the plants by hand.

In Tahiti, the plant has already led to an ecological disaster. There is already a quarter of the rainforest from Miconia plants. For this reason, it is on the island are often referred to as "green cancer."