Biology:Miconia calvescens
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| Miconia calvescens | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Melastomataceae |
| Genus: | Miconia |
| Species: | M. calvescens
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| Binomial name | |
| Miconia calvescens | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Miconia calvescens, the velvet tree, miconia, or bush currant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is native to Mexico and Central and South America[3] and it has become one of the world's most invasive species.
The tree can grow to a height of 15 metres (49 ft) and has very large leaves, each up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length. Its purple and green leaves with flashy white veining made it attractive as an ornamental, and it was imported to Hawaii and other new areas in the mid-twentieth century.
Invasive species
The Invasive Species Specialist Group list the tree as one of the world's 100 most invasive species in the Global Invasive Species Database.[4]
The seeds are dispersed from gardens into natural forest habitats by fruit-eating birds. Once dispersed into tropical moist forests it takes hold vigorously, invading any spot in the understory that receives patches of sunlight, and becomes a noxious weed.
It is known for being the worst invasive plant in Hawaii, where it is commonly referred to as the "purple plague", and threatens to destroy entire ecosystems. The velvet tree has been known to replace the native understory of Hawaiian mountainous forests. The plant itself has a shallow root system as compared to the native species. These shallower root systems are unable to bind the soil together which has led to landslides in certain regions of Hawaii.[5]
Hawaiian populations of miconia were first discovered in the 1990s, and since the plant's invasive potential was already well-known, control and eradication efforts began immediately. Uprooting and herbicides are used to remove plants, but biological control has not yet met with great success. Teams of volunteers often lead expeditions into the forest to remove miconia plants by hand.
The tree has become an invasive species in Tahiti and a quarter of the rainforest on the island is now made up of miconia stands. For this reason, it is frequently called the "green cancer" on the island.
In Sri Lanka it invades upcountry mountain forest areas. It forms monospecific stands that shade out native vegetation.[6]
References
- ↑ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI); IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group; de Santiago, J.; Meave, J.A.; Ibarra-Manríquez, G.; Cornejo-Tenorio, G. (2019). "Miconia calvescens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T49278524A136781990.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/49278524/136781990. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Miconia calvescens DC.". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:326247-2.
- ↑ {{citation | mode = cs1 | title = Miconia calvescens | work = Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) | url = | publisher = [[Organization:Agricultural Research ServAgricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | access-date = 2009-02-07 }}
- ↑ "100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species". Global Invasive Species Database. http://www.issg.org/database/species/search.asp?st=100ss.
- ↑ Amstutz, Lisa J. (2018). Invasive Species. Minneapolis, MN: Abdo Publishing. pp. 13. ISBN 978-1-5321-1024-5.
- ↑ Lalith Gunasekera, Invasive Plants: A guide to the identification of the most invasive plants of Sri Lanka, Colombo 2009, p. 103–104.
External links
- Miconia calvescens information and links from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project
- Miconia calvescens detailed information and references from the Pacific Ecosystems at Risk project
- Miconia calvescens images : a gallery of copyright-free high-resolution photographs
- Miconia calvescens
Wikidata ☰ Q140905 entry
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