Miconia

Slide 1:Miconia

Jay Kline Eric Frye

Slide 2:Miconia calvescens

Oval-shaped leaves, dark velvety or shiny, green above and purple underneath 3 bold leaf veins Up to 3 ft long leaves Up to 50 ft tall A Miconia tree about 30 ft tall will produce approximately three million seeds (2 or 3 times ea. yr)

Slide 3:Flowers

May be triggered by drought and/or rain Often seen on a single tree are all stages of blooming and mature and immature fruits Strong sweet scent

Slide 4:Seeds & Fruits

A single tree can flower/fruit 2-3 times in a year Fruit: sweet, dark purple or black/blue, about 150-230 seeds per fruit Non-native Hawaiin birds eat the fruit contributing to the seeds spread

Slide 5:Miconia in Hawaii

Threatens all habitats that have 75-80 inches of rain per year. Currently Miconia has been found on four Hawaiian islands- Maui, Hawaii, Oahu and Kauai Eradication outlook bright on Oahu and Kauai; Maui and the big island however have much larger problems

Slide 6:Dangers of Miconia

Introduced in Tahiti in 1937, Miconia now covers 70% of Tahiti’s forests and endangers 25% of the native wildlife An average (10m) Miconia plant produces more than 5 million seeds/year Seedlings can tolerate the shade created by large Miconia plants but other species cannot Lack of root system increases erosion

Slide 7:Miconia In Hawaii

Introduced to Hawaii in the early 1960s as an ornamental plant Oahu(1961), Big Island(1964), Maui(late 60s), Kauai(early 80s) Discovered in the wild in 1990 on Maui Maui was the first island to raise awareness and begin containment in 1991 It was sold in nurseries on Hawaii until 1992 when it was declared to be a noxious weed.

Slide 8:Miconia in Hawaii

Slide 9:Kauai

Slide 10:Oahu

Slide 11:Maui

Slide 12:Big Island

Slide 13:Control Methods

Over 20,000 plants removed from 1991-1993 on Maui Hand removal is effective for plants less than 3 meters tall, larger plants are cut down and the stump is sprayed to prevent resprouting Aerial spraying was used on Maui to cover an infested area that was virtually inaccessible due to a 500 year old lava flow This method killed 70% of the observed plants, others however recovered after one fruiting season

Slide 14:Problems

After a heavily infested area is cleared numerous seedlings sprout Seeds can live up to and beyond five years Access roads are needed in order to reach remote Miconia areas The bulldozers used for these roads can spread Miconia seeds Boots used by volunteers are thought to have caused the recent discovery of a single Miconia plant in Maui’s Hileakala National Park

Slide 15:The Search for Natural Predators

Possible eradication agents: Insects: lepidopteran larvae Plant diseases: canker disease Leaf spot fungus Weevils Leaf beetles Butterflies Moths

Slide 16:Cosostrama Myconae

Leaf spot fungus Attacks only Miconia Sent to HDOA in March 1996 by Robert Barreta Approval for field tests in July 1997 Initial field tests on Big Island in Onomea & Leilani Estates in Puna Can be easily mass produced in a lab

Slide 17:What does it do?

Leaves develop purplish splotches & holes in 2-3 weeks, then turn yellow & drop off in a couple of months As of 2000: the fungus is steadily infecting trees in the application sites, & Operation Miconia has asked the HDOA to apply it in all sites ASAP

Slide 18:Success of efforts

Some 800 acres on Maui reduced to less than 500 acres Scattered areas on Kauai & Oahu virtually eradicated Some 10,000 acres infected on Big Island An estimated $10 million a year needed ($150/acre) Legislature recently decreased $ for control Only enough $ for perimeter control on Big Island

Slide 19:Outlook

Hawaii recently launched “Operation Miconia” exhibiting an increase in awareness More money and research is needed to prevent the Big Island from becoming another “Tahiti” 2002 Hawaii state legislative actions showed a renewed interest in the control of invader species

Slide 20:The End