invasive plant types. control and possible uses

[ElysianWort]

The topic of clearing of the land beside the Leilani highway, with the myconia revealed, spurred this thread:

Obviously the albesia is our new #1 invasive plant/tree problem. I've seen people cut the albesia and use the logs as nitrogen fixers/ garden bed forms in large rectangles. The new growth would be maintained and cut off while the logs send roots and nitrogen nodules into the soil. Myconia, couldn't find uses, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miconia_calvescens seems to have quietly been ignored for awhile because of our new weed-tree problems but is listed as the worst invasive weed in Hawaii still. Don't have any around my neighborhood though.

What are the other weed trees? There's cecropia (looks like papaya leafs kinda). I heard you can make musical instruments from it's wood, and the leaves have medicinal use. And there's the one they call gunpowder tree? Not sure of the scientific name of that one. Wonder why it earned that name?

One plant that I've been dealing with around my place lately is the Kosters-curse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clidemia_hirta
They pull up pretty easy but there's just so darn many of them. Too tough to weed-wack down too. However the berries are edible and delicious. Uses: makes a tasty curse-berry pie. Unfortunately the birds love the berries too and they spread so easily.

Anything else popping up in your yard that "shouldn't" be there?

[DoryGray]

Gunpowder tree got it's name from the small explosion the pods make when hitting the road or dirt. Also called Castor Bean tree & interestingly, that is where the poison Ricin comes from.

[Mr nice guy]

...Also called Castor Bean tree & interestingly, that is where the poison Ricin comes from.

No ricin from miconia. Ricin can be extracted from the castor bean plant which is an entirely different species than the gunpowder tree.

[Lee M-S]

and castor beans are another invasive here!

><(((*< ... ><(("< ... ><('< ... >o>

[bananahead]

Miconia calvescens is all over North Hilo and the upper part of South Hilo district above Hilo.. like near Onomea Bay. Its in Puna as well in many spots but not as thick as above Hilo where its very bad,...... it has the potential to be the worst plant here like it is in Tahiti where its destroyed much of Tahiti's forests by shading out the other plants...

"...The Invasive Species Specialist Group list the tree as one of the world's 100 most invasive species in the Global Invasive Species Database.[3]

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. 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.[4]..."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miconia_calvescens

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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[bananahead]

ps Kosters-curse (Clidemia) and Miconia and Melastoma and Tibouchina, etc. are all in same family .. all Green Cancer!

******************************************************************
save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[bananahead]

GunPowder Tree is a large tree mixed in with albizia etc.
very invasive and fast growing POS weak wood tree ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trema_orientalis

******************************************************************
save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[EightFingers]

EW, I've been seeing that popping up in my flowerbeds. I thought it was that Glory bush, which is growing everywhere around here. Pulls easily, tho'.

[ElysianWort]

glory bush? Never heard of it. Is that anything like a glory hole?

[ElysianWort]

And very interesting bananahead, about the gunpowder tree. Wikipedia says it's in the hemp family. I thought hops were the only relative of hemp. That's brand new to me.