Conocarpus erectus L., Combretaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Low risk (based on second screen), score: 3 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: button mangrove, buttonwood, sea mulberry

French: palétuvier

Spanish: boton, botoncillo, jelí, mangle boton, mangle negro, mangle prieto

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Shrubs or trees 3-8 m tall.  Leaves chartaceous or somewhat coriaceous and somewhat fleshy, oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 2.5-9 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, more or less densely silky pubescent, especially on midrib or younger leaves.  Peduncles 2-10 (-15) mm long, bracts minute, tomentose; hypanthium tomentose; calyx lobes greenish white, triangular, ca. 1 mm long; stamens usually 10.  Fruit densely clustered into brownish subglobose heads 1-1.5 cm long, each one 3-3.5 mm long, recurved at apex and often with the persistent calyx."  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 547).

Habitat/ecology:  "Button mangrove is intolerant of shade. It is almost always open-grown or in codominant stands. It will tolerate competition by plants of similar size but will not grow under the canopy of taller trees. The species grows above the high tide line, along beaches and just landward of Laguncularia racemosa (L.) Gaertn. and other mangroves. The soils in these situations are usually sandy or marly but sometimes loamy or clayey. Button mangrove is particularly adaptable as an ornamental because it tolerates compacted soil, air pollution, poor drainage, and drought (Gilman and Watson 1993). It also tolerates salt water overwash from storm surges and heavy salt spray. The species grows, although much less commonly, on the lower floodplains of rivers and in upland forests. Herbarium samples have been collected at elevations of 745 m in Costa Rica (Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad 2002)"  (Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories).

In Hawai‘i, "cultivated and sparingly naturalized in coastal areas" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 547).

Propagation:  Water-dispersed seed.

Native range:  "Native to Bermuda, both coasts of southern Florida, the Bahamas, the West Indies, both coasts of Mexico, Central America, South America (through Ecuador and Brazil), and the Galapagos Islands. It is also native to coastal areas of Tropical West Africa (Howard 1989, Little and Wadsworth 1964)"  (Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories).  Native to the coastal zone in the Galápagos Islands (McMullen, 1999; p. 78).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Fernandina Group	Fernandina Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Santiago Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Wolf Island	Wolf Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Parker, James L./Parsons, Bobby (2012) (p. 58) Voucher cited: N. Friday BIED92 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1997) (p. 10) Voucher cited: Lorence 7767 (PTBG) Naturalized locally.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 547) Sparingly naturalized.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 547) Sparingly naturalized.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 547) Sparingly naturalized.
Kiribati Phoenix Islands	Kanton Island	introduced invasive	Fosberg, F. R./Stoddart, D. R. (1994) (p. 17) Vouchers cited: Fosberg & Stoddart 54885 (US, HAW, K) (green form), Fosberg & Stoddart 54886 (US, HAW, K) (silvery form), Clapp P-71-35 (US) (silvery form), Clapp P-71-34 (US) (green form), Clapp P-71-33 (US) (silvery form), Clapp P-71-29 (US) (green form) Sparingly established
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Midway Atoll	Sand Island		Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd (2008) (p. 24) Not seen in this survey, probably eradicated.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	Francis, John K., ed. (2009)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	native	Francis, John K., ed. (2009)

Comments:  Also has a densely silky pubescent form (var. sericeus Griseb.), also introduced into Hawai‘i (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 547).

Control:  If you know of control methods for Conocarpus erectus, please let us know.