Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)


Episcia cupreata


RISK ASSESSMENT RESULTS: Low risk, score: 3 (low risk based on second screen)


Australian/New Zealand Weed Risk Assessment adapted for Hawai‘i.
Information on Risk Assessments
Original risk assessment

Episcia cupreata (Hook.) Hanst. Family - Gesneriaceae. Common Names(s) - Flame violet, Peacock plant Synonym(s) - E. splendens (J. Linden).

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”

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

y

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

n

0

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

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

y

1

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

y

1

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

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

n

-1

6.05

Requires specialist pollinators

y=-1, n=0

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

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

n

-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

n

-1

8.02

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

y=1, n=-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

Supporting data:

Notes

Source

1.01

No evidence

 

1.02

1.03

2.01

(1)Native Range: Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil

(1)http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=B552 [Accessed 24 April 2008]

2.02

2.03

(1)Zone: 10 to 12 (2)They are completely tropical in nature, and frost is anathema; (3)Hardiness: USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)

(1)http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=B552 [Accessed 24 April 2008] (2)Riffle, R.L. 1998. The Tropical Look. An Encyclopedia of Dramatic Landscape Plants. Timber Press, Portland, OR. (3)

2.04

(1)Native Range: Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil

(1)http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=B552 [Accessed 24 April 2008]

2.05

(1)One species is widely cultivated and is occasionally grown in Hawai`i…In Hawai'`, episcias are frequently used in hanging baskets or grown in ground covers for shady garden spots. (2)Episcia cupreata is native to Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil, but is widely grown as a house plant in temperate and tropical areas.

(1)Staples, G.W. and D.R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora. Plants Cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and Other Tropical Places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, HI. (2)Woodson, Jr. R. E. , R. W. Schery and L. E. Skog. 1978. Flora of Panama. Part IX. Family 175. Gesneriaceae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 65(3): 783-996.

3.01

(1)"In Palau, naturalized and climbing on rocks and walls in moist, shady places" (2)Episcia cupreata: alien plant on the island of Mahé, Seychelles [present but apparently not naturalized] (3)Recent introduction. Nicaragua. Occasional. Potted ornamental plant. Among unspecified species imported by Robert Reimers Enterprises in 1998 and 1999 as houseplants. Previously reported on Kwajalein by Whistler & Steele (1999) (4)In tropical areas where the minimum temperature allows its growth, this species can be used as a ground cover and may escape from cultivation. In Panama, E. cupreata is so far only known from cultivation or as an escape. [This reference alone is not sufficient evidence of naturalization]

(1)Space, J. C., B. Waterhouse, J. E. Miles, J. Tiobech and K. Rengulbai. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. (2)KATULIC, S., T. VALENTIN, and K. FLEISCHMANN. 2005. Invasion of creepers on the island of Mahé, Seychelles. Kapisen 3: 10-13. (3)Vander Velde, N. 2003. The Vascular Plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 503: 1-141. (4)Woodson, Jr. R. E. , R. W. Schery and L. E. Skog. 1978. Flora of Panama. Part IX. Family 175. Gesneriaceae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 65(3): 783-996.

3.02

(1)Status(es) (compiled for below "Data sources"): naturalised, weed [No evidence of impacts or control]

(1)http://www.hear.org/gcw/species/episcia_cupreata/ [Accessed 25 April 2008]

3.03

(1)Status(es) (compiled for below "Data sources"): naturalised, weed [No evidence of impacts or control]

(1)http://www.hear.org/gcw/species/episcia_cupreata/ [Accessed 25 April 2008]

3.04

(1)Status(es) (compiled for below "Data sources"): naturalised, weed [No evidence of impacts or control]

(1)http://www.hear.org/gcw/species/episcia_cupreata/ [Accessed 25 April 2008]

3.05

No evidence

4.01

No evidence

4.02

No evidence

4.03

No evidence

4.04

Unknown

4.05

(1)Non-toxic: These plants are not poisonous or there is no known record of toxicity. Exposure to these plants is not expected to cause any symptoms [List includes Episcia cupreata] (2)The plants on this list are generally believed to be safe [include E. cupreata]

(1)http://www.busybirds.net/Toxic.html [Accessed 25 April 2008] (2)http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/poisplant/SAFE-SCI.htm [Accessed 25 April 2008]

4.06

(1)Problems include: fungal leafspots, stem blights and root rots, aphids, mealybugs [No evidence that E. cupreata is an important host of crop pests or pathogens]

(1)http://www.hear.org/gcw/species/episcia_reptans/ [Accessed 24 April 2008]

4.07

(1)Non-toxic: These plants are not poisonous or there is no known record of toxicity. Exposure to these plants is not expected to cause any symptoms [List includes Episcia cupreata] (2)The plants on this list are generally believed to be safe [include E. cupreata]

(1)http://www.busybirds.net/Toxic.html [Accessed 25 April 2008] (2)http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/poisplant/SAFE-SCI.htm [Accessed 25 April 2008]

4.08

Growth form and shady habitat unlikely to carry fire.

 

4.09

(1)Sun: Part shade to full shade

(1)http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=B552 [Accessed 24 April 2008]

4.10

(1)Fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. (2)Neutral, heading downward to slightly acid; pH=6 to 7;

(1)Llamas, K.A. 2003. Tropical Flowering Plants. A Guide to Identification and Cultivation. Timber Press, Portland, OR. (2)http://www3.telus.net/vavgs/intro_episcia.pdf [Accessed 25 April 2008]

4.11

(1)Spreading or creeping pilose perennial herb with long stolons and short, stout stems, rooting at the joints, up to 30 cm or higher

(1)THAMAN, R.R., F.R FOSBERG, E L MANNER AND D.C. HASSALL. 1994. THE FLORA OF NAURU. ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 392: 1-223.

4.12

(1)Spreading or creeping pilose perennial herb with long stolons and short, stout stems, rooting at the joints, up to 30 cm or higher

(1)THAMAN, R.R., F.R FOSBERG, E L MANNER AND D.C. HASSALL. 1994. THE FLORA OF NAURU. ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 392: 1-223.

5.01

Terrestrial

5.02

Gesneriaceae

 

5.03

Gesneriaceae

 

5.04

No evidence

6.01

6.02

Original form is fertile, but certain cultivars may not produce seed. (1)Although flame violets produce seeds, they mainly reproduce by stolon or runner. A new plant grows at the tip of the stolon. In good conditions, a flame violet will colonize bare, shaded soil which gave the plant another common name, carpet plant. (2)Fruit a two-valved capsule, infrequently formed in cultivation. (3)fruit, a 2-valved capsule; seeds, ellipsoid, smooth, brown. (4)Capsule globose, 4-6 mm in diam., hirsute; seeds ellipsoid, ca. 0.5 mm long or less, dark brown.

(1)http://www.killerplants.com/plant-of-the-week/20040322.asp [Accessed 24 April 2008] (2)Whistler, W.A. 2000. Tropical Ornamentals. A Guide. Timber Press, Portland, OR. (3)THAMAN, R.R., F.R FOSBERG, E L MANNER AND D.C. HASSALL. 1994. THE FLORA OF NAURU. ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 392: 1-223. (4)Woodson, Jr. R. E. , R. W. Schery and L. E. Skog. 1978. Flora of Panama. Part IX. Family 175. Gesneriaceae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 65(3): 783-996.

6.03

Unknown

6.04

(1)With few exceptions, the flowers of Gesneriaceae are cross-pollinated and animal-pollinated (zoophilous), with insects (mainly bees), birds and bats acting as pollen vectors…Except for a few chiropterophilous species of Gesneria with protogynous flowers, cross-pollination is promoted or enforced by protandry.

(1)Kubitzki, K., K.U . Kramer, P.S. Green , J. G. Rohwer, V. Bittrich, H. Huber , J. W. Kadereit and C. Jeffrey. 2004. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Volume VII. Flowering Plants - Dicotyledons. Lamiales (except Acanthaceae including Avicenniaceae). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

6.05

(1)Euglossine-pollinated nectar flowers. Both male and female Euglossines visit the flowers in search of nectar. The corolla is relatively large, broad-tubed, the limb is subregular, with rounded lobes, color is light (white, light yellow or rose), and a nectary and nectar are present. The frequently encountered “episcioid” flower (which apparently evolved independently in several neotropical genera such as Episcia, Drymonia, Nautliocalyx, Paradrymonia etc.) may represent a special subtype of the general bee pollination syndrome...Presumed) pollination by butterflies, moths and flies. In general, flowers polllinated by butterflies provide nectar as a floral reward, have a hypocrateriform corolla (with a long, narrow tube and a flat limb) and exhibit red or blue flower colors. These characters apply to some species of Achimenes, Sinningia and Episcia. From that it may be inferred that they are pollinated by butterflies, but factual evidence is lacking so far.

(1)http://www.gesneriads.ca/Articles/Weber%20-%20Scientific%20Overview/pollination.htm [Accessed 25 April 2008]

6.06

(1)Although flame violets produce seeds, they mainly reproduce by stolon or runner. A new plant grows at the tip of the stolon. In good conditions, a flame violet will colonize bare, shaded soil which gave the plant another common name, carpet plant. (2)All species send out creeping stolons that root at the tips and start another tuft of plant, thus making the genus superb for groundcovers.

(1)http://www.killerplants.com/plant-of-the-week/20040322.asp [Accessed 24 April 2008] (2)Riffle, R.L. 1998. The Tropical Look. An Encyclopedia of Dramatic Landscape Plants. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

6.07

Unknown

7.01

Unlikely, as plants require shady conditions to thrive

 

7.02

(1)widely cultivated in the tropics for its red flowers and attractive leaves.

(1)Whistler, W.A. 2000. Tropical Ornamentals. A Guide. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

7.03

Not grown with produce

 

7.04

(1)Capsule globose, 4-6 mm in diam., hirsute; seeds ellipsoid, ca. 0.5 mm long or less, dark brown.

(1)Woodson, Jr. R. E. , R. W. Schery and L. E. Skog. 1978. Flora of Panama. Part IX. Family 175. Gesneriaceae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 65(3): 783-996.

7.05

(1)In the Episcieae the fruit valves are often colored and the seeds are exposed in a conspicuous manner (display fruits). Dispersal is apparently by birds; possibly the fruit is also eaten by mammals such as bats or monkeys. At least two kinds of display capsules can be distinguished: (a) (semi-)fleshy capsules in which the opening convex valves form a cup which presents the seeds with their prominent funicles (Episcia, Nautilocalyx...)

(1)Kubitzki, K., K.U . Kramer, P.S. Green , J. G. Rohwer, V. Bittrich, H. Huber , J. W. Kadereit and C. Jeffrey. 2004. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Volume VII. Flowering Plants - Dicotyledons. Lamiales (except Acanthaceae including Avicenniaceae). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

7.06

(1)In the Episcieae the fruit valves are often colored and the seeds are exposed in a conspicuous manner (display fruits). Dispersal is apparently by birds; possibly the fruit is also eaten by mammals such as bats or monkeys. At least two kinds of display capsules can be distinguished: (a) (semi-)fleshy capsules in which the opening convex valves form a cup which presents the seeds with their prominent funicles (Episcia, Nautilocalyx...)

(1)Kubitzki, K., K.U . Kramer, P.S. Green , J. G. Rohwer, V. Bittrich, H. Huber , J. W. Kadereit and C. Jeffrey. 2004. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Volume VII. Flowering Plants - Dicotyledons. Lamiales (except Acanthaceae including Avicenniaceae). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

7.07

(1)In the Episcieae the fruit valves are often colored and the seeds are exposed in a conspicuous manner (display fruits). Dispersal is apparently by birds; possibly the fruit is also eaten by mammals such as bats or monkeys. At least two kinds of display capsules can be distinguished: (a) (semi-)fleshy capsules in which the opening convex valves form a cup which presents the seeds with their prominent funicles (Episcia, Nautilocalyx...) [No mechanism for external attachment]

(1)Kubitzki, K., K.U . Kramer, P.S. Green , J. G. Rohwer, V. Bittrich, H. Huber , J. W. Kadereit and C. Jeffrey. 2004. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Volume VII. Flowering Plants - Dicotyledons. Lamiales (except Acanthaceae including Avicenniaceae). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

7.08

(1)In the Episcieae the fruit valves are often colored and the seeds are exposed in a conspicuous manner (display fruits). Dispersal is apparently by birds; possibly the fruit is also eaten by mammals such as bats or monkeys. At least two kinds of display capsules can be distinguished: (a) (semi-)fleshy capsules in which the opening convex valves form a cup which presents the seeds with their prominent funicles (Episcia, Nautilocalyx...)

(1)Kubitzki, K., K.U . Kramer, P.S. Green , J. G. Rohwer, V. Bittrich, H. Huber , J. W. Kadereit and C. Jeffrey. 2004. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Volume VII. Flowering Plants - Dicotyledons. Lamiales (except Acanthaceae including Avicenniaceae). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

8.01

(1)Fruit a two-valved capsule, infrequently formed in cultivation.

(1)Whistler, W.A. 2000. Tropical Ornamentals. A Guide. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

8.02

Unknown

8.03

Unknown

8.04

Unknown

8.05

Unknown


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