Present distribution
| This weed is not known to be naturalised in Victoria | ||||
Habitat: Native to Madagascar. Reported in disturbed land, montane forest, bush scrub in mountains and rainforest. |
Map Overlays Used Land Use: Forest private plantation; forest public plantation. Broad vegetation types Sedge-rich woodland; dry foothill forest; moist foothill forest; montane dry woodland; sub-alpine woodland; valley grassy forest; herb-rich woodland; montane grassy woodland; riverine grassy woodland; riparian forest. Colours indicate possibility of Buddleja madagascariensis infesting these areas. In the non-coloured areas the plant is unlikely to establish as the climate, soil or landuse is not presently suitable. |
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QUESTION | COMMENTS | RATING | CONFIDENCE |
Social | |||
1. Restrict human access? | Forms dense impenetrable thickets (Stock & Wild 2002). | mh | mh |
2. Reduce tourism? | Been recorded smothering rainforest canopy, if altar rainforest to a monoculture would reduce tourism based on this habitat (Stock & Wild 2002). | mh | m |
3. Injurious to people? | No prickles or toxicity recorded | l | mh |
4. Damage to cultural sites? | May grow over sites. | ml | m |
Abiotic | |||
5. Impact flow? | Terrestrial plant with an apparent susceptibility to waterlogging (Stuart 2006). | l | mh |
6. Impact water quality? | Terrestrial plant with an apparent susceptibility to waterlogging (Stuart 2006). | l | mh |
7. Increase soil erosion? | Replaces species not reported to leave soil exposed. | l | m |
8. Reduce biomass? | Out competes other species probably direct replacement, if smothering canopy species live biomass may decrease while total biomass may increase. | ml | m |
9. Change fire regime? | It can re-sprout after fire and replaces old stand with in a year may increase fire intensity and frequency if fuel load is replaced within a year (Starr, Starr & Loope 2003). | m | mh |
Community Habitat | |||
10. Impact on composition (a) high value EVC | EVC= Dry Valley Forest (V); CMA= East Gippsland; Bioreg= Victorian Alps; VH CLIMATE potential. “…tenacious, persistent species capable of ascending trees and smothering canopy, wherever conditions are suitable.” Major displacement of dominant sp. within a layer. | h | mh |
(b) medium value EVC | EVC= Grassy Woodland (D); CMA= East Gippsland; Bioreg= Victorian Alps; VH CLIMATE potential. “…tenacious, persistent species capable of ascending trees and smothering canopy, wherever conditions are suitable.” Major displacement of dominant sp. within a layer. | h | mh |
(c) low value EVC | EVC= Damp Forest (LC); CMA= East Gippsland; Bioreg= Victorian Alps; VH CLIMATE potential. “…tenacious, persistent species capable of ascending trees and smothering canopy, wherever conditions are suitable.” Major displacement of dominant sp. within a layer. | h | mh |
11. Impact on structure? | Can ascend tress and smother the canopy (Stock & Wild 2002). | h | mh |
12. Effect on threatened flora? | No specific data but appears to smother everything in its path. | mh | m |
Fauna | |||
13. Effect on threatened fauna? | No specific data may be beneficial to butterflies, but if can dramatically alter habitat. | mh | m |
14. Effect on non-threatened fauna? | Replacing range of species potentially beneficially to nectivorus species but detrimental to frugivourous species. | m | m |
15. Benefits fauna? | Supplies nectar for butterflies, other insects and nectivourous birds and mammals. | m | m |
16. Injurious to fauna? | No spines or toxicity reported. | l | m |
Pest Animal | |||
17. Food source to pests? | Nectar consumed by bees (Starr, Starr & Loope 2003). | ml | m |
18. Provides harbor? | Dense thickets would form cover for pest species | m | m |
Agriculture | |||
19. Impact yield? | Not agricultural weed | l | m |
20. Impact quality? | Not agricultural weed | l | m |
21. Affect land value? | Not agricultural weed | ml | m |
22. Change land use? | Not agricultural weed | l | m |
23. Increase harvest costs? | Not agricultural weed | ml | m |
24. Disease host/vector? | Not agricultural weed | ml | m |
QUESTION | COMMENTS | RATING | CONFIDENCE |
Establishment | |||
1. Germination requirements? | No data available on germination requirements of seed however fertile seed is not yet reported in Australia. Vegetatively a section of stem will grow under low light conditions, low temperatures could impeded this but at this point that is not known (Stock & Wild 2002). | h | mh |
2. Establishment requirements? | Vegetatively a stem fragment can establish under rainforest canopy (Stock & Wild 2002). | h | mh |
3. How much disturbance is required? | Invades undisturbed rainforest (Stock & Wild 2002). | mh | mh |
Growth/Competitive | |||
4. Life form? | Evergreen climbing shrub (ed. Spencer 2002). | ml | mh |
5. Allelopathic properties? | None Described | l | m |
6. Tolerates herb pressure? | In cultivation recommended to prune in spring and after flowering (Stuart 2006). | m | mh |
7. Normal growth rate? | Described as growing very quickly and able to out-compete other major environmental weeds of south east Queensland (Stock & Wild 2002). | h | mh |
8. Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc? | From recommendations on its cultivations, can be killed by frost, and it is recommended to not over water it especially in winter therefore susceptible to water logging (Stuart 2006). Re-sprouts after fire (Starr, Starr & Loope 2003). | l | mh |
Reproduction | |||
9. Reproductive system | Only know to reproduce vegetatively in Australia (Stock & Wild 2002), however does produce seed elsewhere (Starr, Starr & Loope 2003). | h | mh |
10. Number of propagules produced? | Reported to produce numerous seeds in fruits and produce much fruit (Starr, Starr & Loope 2003). | m | m |
11. Propagule longevity? | Longevity of seeds not reported, main form of reproduction in Australia is vegetatively (Stock & Wild 2002). | l | mh |
12. Reproductive period? | Actual life span of species not reported however it is reported to form dense impenetrable thickets smothering out other species (monoculture) (Stock & Wild 2002). | h | mh |
13. Time to reproductive maturity? | Spreading vegetatively may produce propagates within one year (Stock & Wild 2002). | h | mh |
Dispersal | |||
14. Number of mechanisms? | Vegetatively, human dispersal, and water potentially birds (Stock & Wild 2002). Seeds presumed dispersed by birds (Starr, Starr & Loope 2003). | mh | mh |
15. How far do they disperse? | Water may disperse propagules distances greater than 1km. Plants have been recorded to establish in the midst of national parks in Queensland apparently distant from any source of infestation (Stock & Wild 2002). | h | mh |