Miconia calvescens


The prime threat to Hawaii's native plants currently is Miconia calvescens. As the picture of Tahiti below left shows, Miconia forms a pure stand, occupying the lower, mid, and upper levels of the forest, driving out other plants. It is estimated that on one island of Tahiti, 80% of the natural forest has been has been replaced by Miconia. Photo on the left provided by Betsy Gagne. Photo on the right by Priscilla Millen.

One factor in the rapid spread of Miconia is that it produces bird-attractive fruits with many tiny seeds. It has been theorized that Miconia in its native habitat has been prevented from reaching high levels of sunlight by tall trees. In Hawaiian forests with less competition, Miconia may rapidly grow to high sunlight levels that cause explosive growth.



Recently, a fungus has been found that attacks Miconia, and testing is being undertaken to determine its safety for Hawaiian native or commercial plants. We can be hopeful this biological control will save Hawaiian forests from the threat faced in Tahiti.
However, Hawaii's residents should understand the threat Miconia poses and should it be identified, each island has a Miconia hot line which residents can call. Photos by Betsy Gagne.

As of July 1997, these were the hot line phone numbers.

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