Cestrum elegans (Brongn. ex Neumann) Schlecht., Solanaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 18 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Cestrum purpureum (Lindl.) Standl.; Habrothamnus elegans Brongn. ex Neumann; Habrothamnus purpureus Lindl.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: mao jing ye xiang shu

English: crimson cestrum, purple cestrum

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrubs. Stem copiously pubescent. Petiole 6-12 mm; leaf blade ovate or elliptic, ca. 8 x 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"  (Flora of China online).

Habitat/ecology:  "Disturbed and open forest and margins, streamsides, shrublands, and dry gullies.  Forms dense, shady masses. Moderate to highly shade tolerant, and grows in most soil types, damp or dry conditions, and hot or cold temperatures. Poisonous, not grazed.  Prevents the establishment of native plant seedlings. Poisonous berries and rotting vegetation may affect native fauna"  (Weedbusters New Zealand).

Propagation:  Seeds and cuttings (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 99).  "Birds, flooding, soil movement and vegetation dumping all spread seeds"  (Weedbusters New Zealand).

Native range:  Mexico (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 533).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1930) (voucher ID: BISH 69681) Taxon name on voucher: Cestrum elegans (Brongn. ex Neumann) Schlecht.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	introduced cultivated	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 533)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1995) (voucher ID: BISH 646222) Taxon name on voucher: Cestrum elegans (Brongn. ex Neumann) Schlecht.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1937) (voucher ID: BISH 69682) Taxon name on voucher: Cestrum elegans (Brongn. ex Neumann) Schlecht.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 130) Vouchers cited: Baumann 7421 s. loc., Cochereau in Veillon 2037, MacKee 21757 Spontané

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)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 99) "Invasive in moist and wet sclerophyll forests in Victoria".
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) Yunnan (cultivated as an ornamental)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 25) Cultivated only

Control: 

Physical:  "Best controlled when in flower. Wear gloves when handling.  Pull out small plants (all year round)"

Chemical:  "Stump swab (all year round): Tordon Brushkiller (100ml/L) or triclopyr 600 EC (100ml/L); spray (spring-summer): triclopyr 600 EC (30ml/10L)"  (Weedbusters New Zealand).

Additional information:
Impact assessment from Victoria, Australia.
Information sheet from Weedbusters, New Zealand.

Additional online information about Cestrum elegans is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Cestrum elegans as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Cestrum elegans may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1930. Voucher specimen #BISH69681(Lyon, H.L.; collector's voucher number unknown).

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1937. Voucher specimen #BISH69682(A.F.Judd; collector's voucher number unknown).

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1995. Voucher specimen #BISH646222(D.H.Lorence 7644).

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

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

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

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.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).