Answer

Score

1.01

Is the species highly domesticated? (If answer is 'no' then go to question 2.01)

y=-3, n=0

n

0

1.02

Has the species become naturalized where grown?

y=-1, n=-1

1.03

Does the species have weedy races?

y=-1, n=-1

2.01

Species suited to tropical or subtropical climate(s) (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) – If island is primarily wet habitat, then substitute “wet tropical” for “tropical or subtropical”

See Append 2

2

2.02

Quality of climate match data (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) see appendix 2

2

2.03

Broad climate suitability (environmental versatility)

y=1, n=0

n

0

2.04

Native or naturalized in regions with tropical or subtropical climates

y=1, n=0

y

1

2.05

Does the species have a history of repeated introductions outside its natural range? y=-2

?=-1, n=0

y

3.01

Naturalized beyond native range y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2), n= question 2.05

n

-2

3.02

Garden/amenity/disturbance weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

0

3.03

Agricultural/forestry/horticultural weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

0

3.04

Environmental weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

0

3.05

Congeneric weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

y

2

4.01

Produces spines, thorns or burrs

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.02

Allelopathic

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.03

Parasitic

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.04

Unpalatable to grazing animals

y=1, n=-1

4.05

Toxic to animals

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.06

Host for recognized pests and pathogens

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.07

Causes allergies or is otherwise toxic to humans

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.08

Creates a fire hazard in natural ecosystems

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.09

Is a shade tolerant plant at some stage of its life cycle

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.10

Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions (or limestone conditions if not a volcanic island)

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.11

Climbing or smothering growth habit

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.12

Forms dense thickets

y=1, n=0

n

0

5.01

Aquatic

y=5, n=0

n

0

5.02

Grass

y=1, n=0

n

0

5.03

Nitrogen fixing woody plant

y=1, n=0

y

1

5.04

Geophyte (herbaceous with underground storage organs -- bulbs, corms, or tubers)

y=1, n=0

n

0

6.01

Evidence of substantial reproductive failure in native habitat

y=1, n=0

n

0

6.02

Produces viable seed.

y=1, n=-1

y

1

6.03

Hybridizes naturally

y=1, n=-1

6.04

Self-compatible or apomictic

y=1, n=-1

6.05

Requires specialist pollinators

y=-1, n=0

n

0

6.06

Reproduction by vegetative fragmentation

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

6.07

Minimum generative time (years) 1 year = 1, 2 or 3 years = 0, 4+ years = -1

See left

4+

-1

7.01

Propagules likely to be dispersed unintentionally (plants growing in heavily trafficked areas)

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.02

Propagules dispersed intentionally by people

y=1, n=-1

y

1

7.03

Propagules likely to disperse as a produce contaminant

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.04

Propagules adapted to wind dispersal

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.05

Propagules water dispersed

y=1, n=-1

7.06

Propagules bird dispersed

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.07

Propagules dispersed by other animals (externally)

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.08

Propagules survive passage through the gut

y=1, n=-1

8.01

Prolific seed production (>1000/m2)

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

8.02

Evidence that a persistent propagule bank is formed (>1 yr)

y=1, n=-1

y

1

8.03

Well controlled by herbicides

y=-1, n=1

8.04

Tolerates, or benefits from, mutilation, cultivation, or fire

y=1, n=-1

8.05

Effective natural enemies present locally (e.g. introduced biocontrol agents)

y=-1, n=1

Total score:

-3

Notes

Reference

1.01

No, this species has not been selected and bred by humans so that the plant differs substantially from its wild relatives.

1.02

Answer not scored because conditions for scoring (1.01 must = y) were not met

1.03

Answer not scored because conditions for scoring (1.01 must = y) were not met

2.01

(1)"Distribution Range and Population Native: Bahia, Maranhao, Para, Piaui" Present, status not known in "Florida, Hawaii, Australia and Mexico" (2)"Piaui, Alagoas, Bahia, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, in the pluvial Atlantic forest and in xerophyte forest" (3)"Distributional range: Native: SOUTHERN AMERICA Brazil: Brazil - Amazonas, Bahia, Maranhao, Para, Piaui" (4)Cultivated in " Zimbabwe. South America: Brazil"

(1)BayScience Foundation, Inc. Webpage: Zipcodezoo Plant Index. Accessed 2008. http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/ (2)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora (3)Sinnott, Q. Webpage: USDA Agricultural Research Service Germplasm Resources Information Network-Species Search. Accessed 2008. http://www.ars.usda.gov/search/advanced.htm (4)White, R. Webpage: International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS). Accessed 2008. ILDIS Coordinating Centre, School of Plant Sciences, University of Reading, UK. http://www.ildis.org/

2.02

Native range well known

2.03

(1)"Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 10a, 10b, 11." (2)"Hardiness: USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F) USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F) USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)"

(1)BayScience Foundation, Inc. Webpage: Zipcodezoo Plant Index. Accessed 2008. http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants (2)Whitinger, D. Website: Dave's Garden. Accessed 2008. http://davesgarden.com/

2.04

Yes, native to Brazil. Please refer to the comments section of question 2.01 for references

2.05

Yes cultivated in at least three different locations outside of its native range. These locations follow. (1)Florida (2)Australia (3)Zimbabwe

(1)BayScience Foundation, Inc. Webpage: Zipcodezoo Plant Index. Accessed 2008. http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/ (2)James Cook University Queensland, AU. Webpage: Plants by scientific name at James Cook University. Accessed 2008. http://cms.jcu.edu.au/discovernature/plants_t/index.htm (3)White, R. Webpage: International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS). Accessed 2008. ILDIS Coordinating Centre, School of Plant Sciences, University of Reading, UK. http://www.ildis.org/

3.01

No evidence

3.02

No evidence

3.03

No evidence

3.04

No evidence

3.05

(1)"Caesalpinia decapetala: Originating from Tropical Asia, Caesalpinia decapetala has been introduced to many different tropical locations. It has become a major invasive plant in South Africa and Hawai‘I, where it presents formidable opposition for ranches and has the capability to take over large areas of land. This deciduous, sprawling noxious shrub, with numerous spines, forms impenetrable thickets limiting animal movement and smothering other plants" (2)The following species within Caesalpinia are recorded as weeds: bonduc, coriaria, crista, decapetala, gilliesii, major, mexicana, pulcherrim and sepiaria

(1)Invasive Species Specialist Group. Webpage: The Global Invasive Species Database. Accessed 2008. http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/ (2)Randall, R.P. 2002. A Global Compendium of Note Ref: Weeds. Shannon Books, Melbourne

4.01

No. See description of bark:(1) "Smooth bark with dappled cream to white bark." (2)"unarmed shrub or large tree"

(1)Burcal Pty Ltd. Webpage: ePlants, Sydney's Online Nursery. Accessed 2008. http://www.eplants.com.au/index.asp (2)van der Schans, A. 2004. Tropical and Subtropical Trees: An Encyclopedia. Timber press, OR

4.02

No evidence

4.03

Not parasitic. Growth form is a large (15m) tree (1)

(1)van der Schans, A. 2004. Tropical and Subtropical Trees: An Encyclopedia. Timber press, OR

4.04

Unknown

4.05

No evidence

4.06

Found to host the spittlebug Cephisus siccifolius(1), however, it is not the exclusive host

(1)RibeiroI, G.T., M. da Costa MendonçaI, J.B. de MesquitaI, J.C. ZanuncioII and G.S. CarvalhoII. Spittlebug Cephisus siccifolius damaging eucalypt plants in the State of Bahia, Brazil. Pesq. Agropec. Bras. 40(7)

4.07

No evidence

4.08

No. Included as one of the low risk fire prone species and included in a demonstration garden (1)

(1)Spatcher, C. 2002. Glen Forrest Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade Demonstration Garden. Mundaring Shire and the Fire and Emergency Services Authority, AU

4.09

(1)"Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun" (2)"The plant is tolerant to open areas (full sun)"

(1)BayScience Foundation, Inc. Webpage: Zipcodezoo Plant Index. Accessed 2008. http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/ (2)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

4.10

(1)"Occurs mainly in floodplains in the bottom of valleys, where the soil is humid and fresh, as much in the dense primary forest as in open and secondary areas. It is irregularly dispersed and discontinuous along its distribution range, almost always in low density." (2)"The tree prefers an open, sunny position with shelter from cold wind, in a climate with minimum temperatures above –2c, the warmer the better. A fibrous, sandy soil with free drainage is ideal."

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora (2)Webpage: Kenni Koala's Aussie Seed Store. Accessed 2008. http://stores.ebay.com.au/KENNIKOALAS-AUSSIE-SEED-STORE

4.11

No. Tree growth form (1)"Height 10-15 m, with a wide, flat-topped crown."

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

4.12

No (1)"usually occurs Iow population density. It is found in humid areas subjected to flooding in bottom of valleys in open formations."

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

5.01

Terrestrial, perennial non-climbing tree

5.02

Not Poaceae. In the family Fabaceae

5.03

In the family Fabaceae (1)

(1)White, R. Webpage: International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS). Accessed 2008. ILDIS Coordinating Centre, School of Plant Sciences, University of Reading, UK. http://www.ildis.org/

5.04

Not a geophyte

6.01

(1)"It is widespread all over its range, but usually occurs in low population density."

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

6.02

Yes (1)"the germination rate is higher than 60%"

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

6.03

Unknown

6.04

Unknown

6.05

Unlikely given the growth form of flowers (1)"Flowers yellow, borne in terminal and axillar clusters" and the fact that it yields "a large amount of viable seeds annually"

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

6.06

(1)Cultivation "Harvest the fruits (pods) directly from the tree when they acquire a dark coloration and begin to fall." No mention of vegetative means of propigation

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

6.07

(1)"The development of plants in the field is moderate, reaching the height of 2.5 m in 2 years." [full size is 10-15 m)

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

7.01

No. (1)"Fruit a flat, woody, indehiscent legume (pod) with dark brown, hard seeds." Seeds aere a little over 1 cm in length while pods are approx 8 cm. "(Use)a hammer to release the seeds."

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

7.02

Seed and seedlings for sale over the interenet as part of the ornamental tree industry (1)

(1)Webpage: Kenni Koala's Aussie Seed Store. Accessed 2008. http://stores.ebay.com.au/KENNIKOALAS-AUSSIE-SEED-STORE

7.03

No. Seeds are borne within a woody pod and are 1 cm in size. In addition, the tree occurs in dense primary forest (1)

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

7.04

(1)C. ferrea described as being among species having "Barochorous diaspores … represented by heavy dry seeds (ranging from 12 to 60 mg) without any apparent structure which could facilitate dispersal by wind" (2)"indehiscent, thick flattened dark brown pods" (3)"The fruit is a flattened legume containing 3-6 seeds." (4)No, see description: "Fruit a flattened, hard, string bean with dark brown rind 8 X 2 cm. To extract the seeds it is necessary to break with hammer. Seeds 0.7 cm, black color. "

(1)Griz, L.M.S. and I.C.S. Machado. 2001. Fruiting phenology and seed dispersal syndromes in caatinga, a tropical dry forest in the northeast of Brazil. Journal of Tropical Ecology: 17: 303-321 (2)James Cook University Queensland, AU. Webpage: Plants by scientific name at James Cook University. Accessed 2008. http://cms.jcu.edu.au/discovernature/plants_t/index.htm (3)Webpage: Kenni Koala's Aussie Seed Store. Accessed 2008. http://stores.ebay.com.au/KENNIKOALAS-AUSSIE-SEED-STORE (4)Webpage: Trees of Brazil. Accessed 2008. http://www.arvores.brasil.nom.br/listan.htm

7.05

Unknown

7.06

barochory (weight dispersal) syndrome(1). Pods are indehisent, seeds dark and hard

(1)Griz, L.M.S. and I.C.S. Machado. 2001. Fruiting phenology and seed dispersal syndromes in caatinga, a tropical dry forest in the northeast of Brazil. Journal of Tropical Ecology: 17: 303-321

7.07

Pods are "smooth indehiscent" (1)which must be crushed before seeds are released. These seeds are smooth and approx 1.5 cm long with no means of external attachment

(1)Teixeira, S.D.P., S.M. Carmello-Guerreirro and S.R. Machado. 2004. Fruit and seed ontogeny related to the seed behaviour of two tropical species of Caesalpinia (Leguminosae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 146(1): 57–70

7.08

Unknown. Probably they would remain viable post-passage as they have a hard outer coat that must be scarafied prior to germination. However there is no evidence the the seed in consumed by any animal

8.01

Although "one kg of seeds contains 5,200 units"(1), prolific seed production as defined in this querstion is probably impossible, given that the canopy of a mature tree easily covers a 225 m2 area and that there are only 3-6 seeds in each pod.

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

8.02

(1)"In contrast, the seeds of C. ferrea can remain on the soil for more than eight months in natural conditions and germinate only after scarification"

(1)Lorenzi, H. 2004. Brazilian trees : a guide to the identification and cultivation of Brazilian native trees. Volume 1. Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil : Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora

8.03

Unknown

8.04

Unknown

8.05

Unknown