Cestrum elegans (Brongn. Ex Neumann) Schltdl. Family - Solanaceae. Common Names(s) - crimson cestrum, purple cestrum, karmosynsestrum . Synonym(s) -Cestrum purpureum, Habrothamnus elegans, Habrothanmus purpureus.

Answer

Score

1.01

Is the species highly domesticated?

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

1

3.01

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

y

2

3.02

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

n=0

3.03

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

n=0

3.04

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

n=0

y

4

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

y

1

4.06

Host for recognized pests and pathogens

y=1, n=0

4.07

Causes allergies or is otherwise toxic to humans

y=1, n=0

y

1

4.08

Creates a fire hazard in natural ecosystems

y=1, n=0

4.09

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

y=1, n=0

4.10

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

y=1, n=0

y

1

4.11

Climbing or smothering growth habit

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.12

Forms dense thickets

y=1, n=0

y

1

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

n

0

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

6.06

Reproduction by vegetative fragmentation

y=1, n=-1

y

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

y

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

0

7.04

Propagules adapted to wind dispersal

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.05

Propagules water dispersed

y=1, n=-1

y

1

7.06

Propagules bird dispersed

y=1, n=-1

y

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

y

1

8.01

Prolific seed production (>1000/m2)

y=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

y

-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:

18

Notes

Source

1.01

No evidence.

1.02

1.03

2.01

(1) Native to Mexico - Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz.

(1) http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?9992#common [Cited 2009 April 27].

2.02

(1) Native to Mexico - Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz.

(1) http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?9992#common [Cited 2009 April 27].

2.03

(1) USDA Hardiness zones: 8a-11.

(1) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2741/ [Cited 2009 April 27].

2.04

(1) Native to Mexico - Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz.

(1) http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?9992#common [Cited 2009 April 27].

2.05

(1) Introduced to South Africa. (2) Introduced to New Zealand. (3) Cestrum elegans is available in California from: California Flora Nursery, Sonoma; Capital Wholesale Flora Nursery, Santa Clara; Green Acres Nursery, San Diego; Native Sons Nursery, San Luis Obispo; Tom Piergrossi Landscape, San Diego; and Cistus Nursery in Oregon.

(1) http://www.arc.agric.za/home.asp?pid=1031 [Cited 2009 April 29]. (2) http://www.hear.org/weedlists/other_areas/nz/nzecoweeds.htm [Cited 2009 April 29.] (3) http://www.cnplx.info/nplx/species?taxon=Cestrum+elegans

3.01

(1) Cestrum elegans has the ability to invade minimally disturbed and relatively intact ecosystems. (2) Ecological weed of concern on conservation lands in New Zealand. (3) C. elegans invades gardens, bushland and streamsides. (4) C. elegans is considered to be the worst weed at Yarra Ranges National Park, Australia. It can invade undisturbed bush and mixed species forest, outcompeting ground cover plants and threatens to form a monoculture. The park has used hand-pulling and herbicide treatments to manage the infestation.

(1) http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/invasive_red_cestrum [Cited 2009 April 29]. (2) http://www.hear.org/weedlists/other_areas/nz/nzecoweeds.htm [Cited 2009 April 29.] (3) http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/2_Fact_Sheet-Cestrum.pdf [Cited 2009 April 29]. (4) Stewart-Howie M. 2003. Environmental weed treatment in Melbourne's water catchment. Plant Protection Quarterly. 18 (2);70-71.

3.02

(1) Cestrum elegans has the ability to invade minimally disturbed and relatively intact ecosystems. (2) C. elegans invades gardens, bushland and streamsides.

(1) http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/invasive_red_cestrum [Cited 2009 April 29]. (2) http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/2_Fact_Sheet-Cestrum.pdf [Cited 2009 April 29].

3.03

Unknown (1) Declared weed (category 1) in South Africa. Category 1: plant species were included in this list for one or more of the following reasons: they might pose a serious health risk to humans or livestock, cause serious financial losses to land users, be able to invade undisturbed environments and transform or degrade natural plant communities, use more water than the plant communities they replace or be particularly difficult to control.

(1) http://www.arc.agric.za/home.asp?pid=1031 [Cited 2009 April 29].

3.04

(1) Cestrum elegans has the ability to invade minimally disturbed and relatively intact ecosystems. (2) Ecological weed of concern on conservation lands in New Zealand. (3) Declared weed (category 1) in South Africa. Category 1: plant species were included in this list for one or more of the following reasons: they might pose a serious health risk to humans or livestock, cause serious financial losses to land users, be able to invade undisturbed environments and transform or degrade natural plant communities, use more water than the plant communities they replace or be particularly difficult to control. (4) C. elegans invades gardens, bushland and streamsides. (5) C. elegans is considered to be the worst weed at Yarra Ranges National Park, Australia. It can invade undisturbed bush and mixed species forest, outcompeting ground cover plants and threatens to form a monoculture.The park has used hand-pulling and herbicide treatments to manage the infestation.

(1) http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/invasive_red_cestrum [Cited 2009 April 29]. (2) http://www.hear.org/weedlists/other_areas/nz/nzecoweeds.htm [Cited 2009 April 29.] (3) http://www.arc.agric.za/home.asp?pid=1031 [Cited 2009 April 29]. (4) http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/2_Fact_Sheet-Cestrum.pdf [Cited 2009 April 29]. (5) Stewart-Howie M. 2003. Environmental weed treatment in Melbourne's water catchment. Plant Protection Quarterly. 18 (2);70-71.

3.05

(1) Celestrum parqui is considered a class 3 noxious weed in New South Wales. Class 3 weeds must be fully and continuously suppressed and destroyed. It is highly toxic to livestock.

(1) http://www.strathfield.nsw.gov.au/system/files/f2/f36/f37/o458//WEED%20INFORMATION%20SHEET%20-%20Green%20Cestrum.pdf [Cited 2009 April 29].

4.01

(1) Shrubs. Stem copiously pubescent. Petiole 6-12 mm; leaf blade ovate or elliptic, ca. 8 × 3 cm. Inflorescences erect, terminal or axillary, congested racemose panicles; bracts ovate, minutely tomentose, 4-5 mm. Flowers odorless. Pedicel ca. 1 mm. Calyx narrowly campanulate, 6-8 mm, glabrous, unribbed; teeth ca. 3 mm, ciliate. Corolla red, pink, or violet, ca. 2 cm, expanded upward, abruptly contracted at throat, glabrous; lobes deltoid, ca. 2 mm. Filaments glabrous, unappendaged, slightly bent at point of insertion. Fruiting calyx not splitting. Berry dark pink, globose, 0.8-1.3 cm. Seeds ca. 8.

(1) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27].

4.02

No evidence of allelopathy.

4.03

(1) Shrubs. Stem copiously pubescent. Petiole 6-12 mm; leaf blade ovate or elliptic, ca. 8 × 3 cm. Inflorescences erect, terminal or axillary, congested racemose panicles; bracts ovate, minutely tomentose, 4-5 mm. Flowers odorless. Pedicel ca. 1 mm. Calyx narrowly campanulate, 6-8 mm, glabrous, unribbed; teeth ca. 3 mm, ciliate. Corolla red, pink, or violet, ca. 2 cm, expanded upward, abruptly contracted at throat, glabrous; lobes deltoid, ca. 2 mm. Filaments glabrous, unappendaged, slightly bent at point of insertion. Fruiting calyx not splitting. Berry dark pink, globose, 0.8-1.3 cm. Seeds ca. 8.

(1) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27].

4.04

(1) Not grazed. (2) Cestrum elegans is toxic to animals. When injested by stock they die within an hour from internal haemorrhaging.

(1) http://weedbusters.co.nz/weed_info/detail.asp?WeedID=83 [Cited 2009 April 29]. (2) Stewart-Howie M. 2003. Environmental weed treatment in Melbourne's water catchment. Plant Protection Quarterly. 18 (2);70-71.

4.05

(1) Cestrum elegans is toxic to animals. When injested by stock they die within an hour from internal haemorrhaging.

(1) Stewart-Howie M. 2003. Environmental weed treatment in Melbourne's water catchment. Plant Protection Quarterly. 18 (2);70-71.

4.06

Unknown

4.07

(1) All parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested. (2) All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested. (3) Contractors hand pulling Cestrum elegans from Yarra Ranges National Park, Australia reported headaches and minor skin rashes over the three days it took them to remove a population of Cestrum elegans.

(1) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2741/ [Cited 2009 April 27]. (2) http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/sitePlant.php?plantid=4876&name=cestrum-elegans [Cited 2009 April 29]. (3) Stewart-Howie M. 2003. Environmental weed treatment in Melbourne's water catchment. Plant Protection Quarterly. 18 (2);70-71.

4.08

Unknown

4.09

(1) Sun to partial shade. (2) Partial shade to full sun.

(1) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2741/ [Cited 2009 April 27]. (2) http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/sitePlant.php?plantid=4876&name=cestrum-elegans [Cited 2009 April 29].

4.10

(1) Soil pH: acid, alkaline, nuetral. Soil type: loamy, sandy.

(1) http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/sitePlant.php?plantid=4876&name=cestrum-elegans [Cited 2009 April 29].

4.11

(1) Shrub.

(1) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27].

4.12

(1) Forms dense (occasionally pure) stands in forest understory and shrubland. Prevents the establishment of native plant seedlings. (2) Cestrum elegans is a shrub that reaches over 2 meters high and suckers well to form dense thickets.

(1) http://weedbusters.co.nz/weed_info/detail.asp?WeedID=83 [Cited 2009 April 29]. (2) Stewart-Howie M. 2003. Environmental weed treatment in Melbourne's water catchment. Plant Protection Quarterly. 18 (2);70-71.

5.01

(1) Terrestrial.

(1) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27].

5.02

(1) Solanaceae.

(1) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27].

5.03

(1) Solanaceae.

(1) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27].

5.04

(1) Shrub.

(1) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27].

6.01

No evidence.

6.02

(1) Reproduces from seeds.

(1) http://www.weeds.gov.au/publications/books/pubs/potential.pdf [Cited 2009 April 29].

6.03

Unknown (1) Hybrid were developed from Cestrum elegans and Cestrum nocturnum under laboratory conditions.

(1) Griesel, W. O. (1966). "Inheritance of Factors Affecting Floral Primordia Initiation in Cestrum; Hybrids of C. elegans and C. nocturnum." Plant Physiology 41(1): 111-114.

6.04

Unknown

6.05

Unknown (1) Pollinated by birds

(1) Albuquerque, L. B., A. Velázquez, et al. (2006). "Solanaceae composition, pollination and seed dispersal syndromes in Mexican mountain cloud forest." Acta Botanica Brasilica 20: 599-613.

6.06

(1) As new branches touch the ground they generally form roots and grow new plants, cut branches can also take root.

(1) http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/2_Fact_Sheet-Cestrum.pdf [Cited 2009 Apirl 29].

6.07

(1) Time to maturity 5 - 10 years.

(1) http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/sitePlant.php?plantid=4876&name=cestrum-elegans [Cited 2009 April 29].

7.01

(1) Seeds are dispersed in soil.

(1) http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/2_Fact_Sheet-Cestrum.pdf [Cited 2009 April 29].

7.02

(1) Cestrum elegans is available from Exotic Plants Direct website. (2) Cestrum elegans is available in California from: California Flora Nursery, Sonoma; Capital Wholesale Flora Nursery, Santa Clara; Green Acres Nursery, San Diego; Native Sons Nursery, San Luis Obispo; Tom Piergrossi Landscape, San Diego; and Cistus Nursery in Oregon.

(1) http://www.ep-d.co.uk/picture/plants.php?action=list&g=Cestrum&gr=83 [Cited 2009 April 29]. (2) http://www.cnplx.info/nplx/species?taxon=Cestrum+elegans

7.03

No evidence of produce contamination.

7.04

No adaptation for wind dispersal. (1) Fruiting calyx not splitting. Berry dark pink, globose, 0.8-1.3 cm. Seeds ca. 8.

(1) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27].

7.05

(1) Fruiting calyx not splitting. Berry dark pink, globose, 0.8-1.3 cm. Seeds ca. 8. (2) Seeds are water dispersed.

(1) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27]. (2) http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/2_Fact_Sheet-Cestrum.pdf [Cited 2009 April 29].

7.06

(1) Seed dispersed by birds. (2) Fruiting calyx not splitting. Berry dark pink, globose, 0.8-1.3 cm. Seeds ca. 8. (3) Seeds are spread in bird and animal droppings.

(1) Albuquerque, L. B., A. Velázquez, et al. (2006). "Solanaceae composition, pollination and seed dispersal syndromes in Mexican mountain cloud forest." Acta Botanica Brasilica 20: 599-613. (2) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27]. (3) http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/2_Fact_Sheet-Cestrum.pdf [Cited 2009 April 29].

7.07

No means of attachment. (1) Fruiting calyx not splitting. Berry dark pink, globose, 0.8-1.3 cm. Seeds ca. 8.

(1) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27].

7.08

(1) Seed dispersed by birds. (2) Fruiting calyx not splitting. Berry dark pink, globose, 0.8-1.3 cm. Seeds ca. 8. (3) Seeds are spread in bird and animal droppings.

(1) Albuquerque, L. B., A. Velázquez, et al. (2006). "Solanaceae composition, pollination and seed dispersal syndromes in Mexican mountain cloud forest." Acta Botanica Brasilica 20: 599-613. (2) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020515 [Cited 2009 April 27]. (3) http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/2_Fact_Sheet-Cestrum.pdf [Cited 2009 April 29].

8.01

Unknown (1) Produces many, long-lived seeds.

(1) http://weedbusters.co.nz/weed_info/detail.asp?WeedID=83 [Cited 2009 April 29].

8.02

(1) Several years to 8 year seedbank.

(1) Stewart-Howie M. 2003. Environmental weed treatment in Melbourne's water catchment. Plant Protection Quarterly. 18 (2);70-71.

8.03

(1) The cut and paint method was used with neat glyphosate in an experiment at the Yarra Ranges National Park, Australia. The glyphosate was completely effective at killing even the most mature plants. The sudden exposure of the bare soil to light and the soil disturbance caused a mass germination of Cestrum seedlings.

(1) Stewart-Howie M. 2003. Environmental weed treatment in Melbourne's water catchment. Plant Protection Quarterly. 18 (2);70-71.

8.04

Unknown

8.05

Unknown