Citharexylum spinosum L., Verbenaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 7 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Citharexylum quadrangulare Jacq.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: fiddlewood

Fijian: masese

Habit:  tree

Description:  "A ...tree... reaching a height of as much as 50 feet, bears no spines, and has smooth, quadrangular twigs.  The rather thin, smooth, oval or oblong leaves are 8 inches or less long, coarse-toothed or entire, pointed at tip, narrowing at base to a short stem; they are opposite or three together.  Fragrant, white, tubular five-parted flowers, each about 0.3 inch long, are borne in narrow clusters, which are 4 to 12 inches long, branched below or not.  The fruit is a shiny, black, oblong drupe less than 0.5 inch long"  (Neal, 1965; pp. 725-726).

Habitat/ecology:  "This evergreen, medium-sized tree does not have the spines that its scientific name suggests. It forms crowded stands even in undisturbed habitats. Its fire response in Hawai‘i is unknown. It has not been evaluated for biological control.  Extensively planted as an ornamental.  It grows in dry habitats generally below 500 m" (Smith, 1985; p. 188). Planted as a street tree.  In Fiji, "cultivated and naturalized near sea level" (Smith, 1991; pp. 177-178).

Propagation:  Dispersed by frugivorous birds.

Native range:  West Indies.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 177-178) Vouchers cited: DA 7557, Wilder 1234, H.B.R. Parham 67 & 319, DA 12265, DA 12613
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1962) (voucher ID: BISH 33654) Taxon name on voucher: Citharexylum spinosum L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1960) (voucher ID: BISH 33655) Taxon name on voucher: Citharexylum spinosum L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1933) (voucher ID: BISH 186963) Taxon name on voucher: Citharexylum spinosum L.
French Polynesia French Polynesia Islands	French Polynesia Islands	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 94) "Potential invader".
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Martz, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2002) (p. 26) East Maui. Vouchers cited: Starr & Martz 980310-1 (BISH), Starr & Martz 980401-42 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2006) (p. 41) Voucher cited: Starr & Starr 050516-1 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1998) (p. 13) Voucher cited: C. Imada et al. 92-4 Spreading in dry habitats.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 138) Vouchers cited: Suprin 1241 (NOU), MacKee 40191, MacKee 40241, MacKee 40309

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 26) Cultivated only

Control: 

Biological: The lantana stem-sucking bug (Acanophora compressa), introduced to Australia as a control for Lantana camara also has attacked Citharexylum spinosum (Rachel McFadyen, communication to Aliens listserver).

Additional information:
Report (PDF format) from US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station, Hawaii "Plants of Hawaii".
1-page color-illustrated flyer from HEAR (PDF).
Fiddlewood (Citharexylum spinosum): an alien plant report  from HEAR (PDF format).
Information from the Global Invasive Species Database.

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

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1933. Voucher specimen #BISH 186963 (Wilder, G.P. 1234).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1960. Voucher specimen #BISH 33655 (Pillay, S. 12265).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1962. Voucher specimen #BISH 33654 (Qoro 12613).

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.

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Herbarium Pacificum Staff. 1998. New Hawaiian plant records for 1997. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1997. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 56:8-14.

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

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.

Neal, Marie C. 1965. In Gardens of Hawaii. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Special Publication 50, Bishop Museum Press. 924 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1991. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 5. 626 pp.

Smith, Clifford W. 1985. Impact of Alien Plants on Hawai‘i's Native Biota. In: Stone, Charles P. and Scott, J. Michael, eds. Hawai‘i's terrestrial ecosystems: preservation and Management. Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaii, Manoa.

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.

Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. 2006. New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2004-2005. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 87:31-43.

Thaman, R. R./Tuiwawa, M. 1999. Invasive, potentially invasive and adventive alien plant species of Fiji: a preliminary analysis of their status and measures required for their control. Preliminary draft discussion paper prepared for the SPREP Regional Invasive Species Strategy for the South Pacific Islands Region: Regional Workshop, Nadi, Fiji, 26 September-1 October 1999.

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).