Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) A.H.Gentry, Bignoniaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 17 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Bignonia unguis-cati L.; Doxantha unguis-cati (L.) Miers ex Rehder

Common name(s): [more details]

English: cat's claw climber, cat's-claw creeper, cat's-claw vine, catclaw trumpet, catclaw creeper, funnel creeper, macfadyena, yellow trumpet vine

French: griffe chatte, liane patate, patte d'oiseau

Spanish: uña de gato

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Lianas up to 15 m or more long, often rooting at the nodes, glabrous or nearly so.  Leaves drying dark green to nearly black, dimorphic, juvenile plants with small leaflets 1-2 cm long, 0.4-0.8 cm wide, mature leaflets narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 5-16 cm long, 1.2-6.9 cm wide, both surfaces sparsely lepidote, tendril deciduous, 3-forked, 0.1-3.5 cm long, each fork bearing a small horny hook.  Flowers usually in axillary clusters of 1-3 (-15); calyx cup-like, 0.1-1.8 cm long, glabrous to sparsely lepidote, margins crenulate-undulate; corolla yellow with ca 9 orange lines in the threat, tubular-campanulate, 4.5-10 cm long, 1.2-2.4 cm wide at the mouth, the tube 3.3-6.9 cm long, puberulent within along the throat ridges.  Capsules drying blackish, linear, flattened, tapering at both ends, 26-95 cm long, 1-2 cm in diameter, inconspicuously lepidote.  Seeds 1-1.8 cm long, 4.2-5.8 cm wide, the wings membranous, not sharply demarcated from the seed body"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 388).

Habitat/ecology:  "It prefers fertile, well drained soils, but appears to tolerate most soil types, particularly alluvial soils.  Root tubers and stolons form in the plant's second year and can subsequently form at each leaf node while the vine is prostrate.  As such, the plant can form a dense mat which carpets the forest floor.  The vine climbs standing vegetation and can smother native trees and shrubs.  It has invaded riparian vegetation in south-east, coastal Queensland and in north-east, coastal New South Wales.  Plant communities at risk include riparian and rainforest communities in sub-tropical and tropical zones..." (Csurhes and Edwards, 1998; p. 116).  In Hawai‘i, "cultivated as an ornamental and sparingly naturalized"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 388). In New Caledonia, "et très envahissant" (MacKee, 1994; p. 22).

Propagation:  Wind-dispersed seed, pieces and cuttings.

Native range:  Mexico and the West Indies to Argentina (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 388).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2008)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 11)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1980) (voucher ID: BISH 561220) Taxon name on voucher: Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) A.H.Gentry
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2000) (p. 11) Voucher cited: C. Imada & K. Arakaki 99-46 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Martz, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2002) (p. 19) Voucher cited: Starr & Martz 000620-1 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 388)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 388)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, R. T. (2000) (pp. 2-3) West Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H89936 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 388)
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 100) "Dry forests"
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 379) Très envahissante à Yahoué.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 22) Vouchers cited: Baumann 7430, MacKee 15889, MacKee 26570, MacKee 42318
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. 5)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (pp. 11-12)
Vanuatu New Hebrides Islands	Êfaté (Efete) Island	introduced invasive	Orapa, Warea (year unknown) Communication to Aliens listserver.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 116)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 116)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive cultivated	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 263) Collected once in wild but likely to naturalize.
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Envahissant"
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 47)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast and Florida) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced invasive	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 183) "Becoming a weed along the U.S. Gulf coast".
United States (continental except west coast and Florida) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced invasive	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 183)

Comments:  Reported moderately invasive in New Caledonia (Meyer, 2000; p. 100).

A serious environmental weed in sub-tropical northeast New South Wales and southeast Queensland (Barbara Waterhouse, pers.com.)

"Still very restricted to an old military base called Port Havanna on Efate. Suspected of been introduced from New World as military camouflage." (Warea Orapa, communication to Aliens listserver).

Two infestations noted on Niue (Space et al., 2004).

Control: 

Physical: Difficult because of root tubers and rooting from pieces.

Biological: Charidotis auroguttata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae; Cassidinae) has been proposed for introduction to Australia (Tanya Rough, communications to Aliens listserver).

Additional information:
Photos and additional information at University of Florida, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.
Information from the book "Identification and biology of non-native plants in Florida's natural areas" (PDF format).
Information from the Global Invasive Species Database.
Fact sheet from the Government of Queensland, Australia (PDF format)

Additional online information about Macfadyena unguis-cati is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Macfadyena unguis-cati as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Macfadyena unguis-cati may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

Other Latin names:  Bignonia unguis-cati L.; Doxantha unguis-cati (L.) Miers ex Rehder

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1980. Voucher specimen #BISH 561220 (Fosberg, F.R. 60330).

Cardenas, Juan/Reys, Carlos E./Doll, Jerry D./Pardo, Fernando. 1972. Tropical weeds; malezas tropicales, vol. 1. International Plant Protection Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 341 pp.

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe. 1996. Conséquences des introductions d'espèces animales et végétales sur la biodiversité en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Rev. Ecol. (Terre Vie) 51:375-401.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2000. New Hawaiian plant records for 1999. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1999. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 63:9-16.

Langeland, K. A./Burks, K. Craddock. eds. 1998. Identification and biology of non-native plants in Florida's natural areas. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida. 165 pp.

Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2008. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2000. Preliminary review of the invasive plants in the Pacific islands (SPREP Member Countries). In: Sherley, G. (tech. ed.). Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Samoa. 190 pp.

Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, R. T. 2000. New plant records from Maui, O‘ahu, and the Hawai‘i Islands. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1999. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 64:1-10.

Orapa, Warea. 0. Warea Orapa, pers. com.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2000. Report to the Government of Niue on invasive plant species of environmental concern.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 34 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of the Cook Islands on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 146 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate. 2004. Report to the Government of Niue and the United Nations Development Programme: Invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta. UNDP NIU/98/G31 - Niue Enabling Activity. 80 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

Starr, Forest/Martz, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. 2002. New plant records from the Hawaiian archipelago. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2000. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 69:16-27.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 2000. Tropical ornamentals: a guide. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 542 pp.