Cryptostegia grandiflora Roxb. ex R.Br., Apocynaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

Pacific:  High risk, score: 28 (Go to the risk assessment)
Australia:  Reject, score: 16 (Go to the risk assessment)
Risk assessment from the Government of Queensland, Australia (PDF format).

Common name(s): [more details]

English: India rubber vine, Palay rubbervine, panay rubber plant, rubber vine

French: liane de gatope

Spanish: caucho de la India

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Vine to subshrub.  Stems with numerous, small lenticels.  Lamina elliptic to orbicular, up to 10 cm long and 6.3 wide, glabrous; 11-13 secondary veins per side of midrib; tip acute; base cuneate; petiole 7-20.8 mm long, 0.9-3 mm diameter.  Cyme of 1 or 2 fascicles.  Flowers 5-6 cm long, 5-8.8 cm diameter; pedicels 4.2-8.5 mm long, 3-6.2 mm diameter, glabrous.  Calyx lobes lanceolate-ovate, 11.9-18.7 mm long, 5.6-9.8 mm wide.  Corolla pale pink to white; tube 1.9-4.5 cm long, 11.2-17 mm diameter; lobes 21-43 mm long, 13-22.5 mm wide.  Corolline corona of 5 bilobed filaments in throat of tube; each lobe ca 10 mm long overall, bilobed portion ca 8 mm long.  Staminal column 2-3 mm long, 3-4 mm diameter; anthers 4-4.5 mm long, 3-3.5 mm wide.  Translators obtuse, ca 3 mm long and 1.5 mm wide.  Style-head conical, ca 3.5 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter.  Ovaries ca 4 mm long and 2 mm wide.  Follicles fusiform-ovoid, 10-15.4 cm long, 2.1-4 cm diameter; seeds 5.2-9.7 mm long, 1.6-2.8 mm wide; coma white, 18.9-38 mm long." (Marohasy and Forster, 1991; pp. 574-575).

"Woody ornamental lactiferous climber with opposite simple oblong shortly acuminate short-petiolate leaves 4-10 cm long, 3-5 cm wide; cymes of about 6-12 large reddish-purple flowers (sometimes lighter pink-violet); calyx-lobes about 1.2 cm long; corolla about 5 cm long (in bud); follicles 7.5-8.5 cm long.  The flowers resemble those of the purple Allamanda (Allamanda violacea)" (Stone, 1970; p. 487).

"Can be distinguished from C. madagascariensis by its stems with smaller, more numerous lenticels; leaf blades with 11-13 pairs of secondary veins; larger corollas (2-2.5 inches long); 2-lobed corona filaments; and larger fruit (4-6.25 inches long)"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 142).

Habitat/ecology:  Dry forest, roadsides, moist forest, rainforest openings at low elevations. A aggressive woody climbing shrub which is capable of growing over trees up to 15 m high.  In the open, forms impenetrable thickets. "C. grandiflora occurs in the dry south-west of Madagascar where the annual rainfall is less than 600 mm.  Plants occur naturally in the few vestigial pockets of riverine and seasonally flooded forests; however, most of these natural forest types have been cleared for cultivation or destroyed by fire.  Plants are common in disturbed situations where there is temporary or permanent water, such as along gullies, rivers, creeks, waterholes and in salmarsh areas." (Marohasy and Forster, 1991; pp. 574-575).

In Australia, "found in Queensland in the dry tropical areas often fringing streams and river systems including adjacent hills and pastures.  It smothers vegetation replacing native species, particularly in areas degraded by stock.  Hinders pastoralism and reported to be toxic to livestock."  (Smith, 2002; p. 47). In New Caledonia, "cultivé comme plante ornamentale à Nouméa; infeste sur des étendues importantes des pâturages dans la partie Nord de la côte Ouest, surtout dans la région de Voh" (MacKee, 1994; p. 20); "envahissant dans les pâturages" (Barrau 11, 1953).

Propagation:  Wind- and water-dispersed seeds (Smith, 2002; p. 47).

Native range:  Madagascar.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (pp. 219-220)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Fiji Islands	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 92) "Potential invader".
French Polynesia Gambier Islands	Mangareva (Gambier) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 14)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (p. 10)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Voucher cited: J. Florence 2407 (PAP) Ornemental peu abondaùent cultivé.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tetiaroa Atoll	introduced cultivated	Sachet, M.-H./Fosberg, F. R. (1983) (p. 65)
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Makatea (Ma‘atea) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Niau Atoll	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Voucher cited: J. Florence 10106 (PAP) Cultivée
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Niau Atoll		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1992) (voucher ID: BISH 633771) Taxon name on voucher: Cryptostegia grandiflora Roxb. ex R.Br.
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Takapoto Atoll	introduced cultivated	Sachet, M-H. (1983) (p. 33) One vine in village. Voucher cited: Sachet 2042 (US)
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rurutu Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 487)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (pp. 219-220)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1963) (voucher ID: BISH 73093) Taxon name on voucher: Cryptostegia grandiflora Roxb. ex R.Br.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1994) (voucher ID: BISH 641231) Taxon name on voucher: Cryptostegia grandiflora Roxb. ex R.Br.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Lau, Alex/Frohlich, Danielle (2012) (pp. 8-9) Voucher cited: OED 2009061601 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1930) (voucher ID: BISH 73095) Taxon name on voucher: Cryptostegia grandiflora Roxb. ex R.Br.
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (pp. 219-220)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (p. 99) Not seen on this survey and may no longer be present.
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1965) (voucher ID: BISH 452831) Taxon name on voucher: Cryptostegia grandiflora Roxb. ex R.Br.
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (p. 10)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 100)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 379) Infeste d'importantes étendues de pâturages dans le Nord de la côte Ouest, surtout dans la région de Voh.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 20) Vouchers cited: Baumann 7445, Barrau 11, MacKee 8035, Benoit in MacKee 21760, MacKee 21788
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago	introduced cultivated	Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (p. 453) Cultivated as an ornamental.
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced cultivated	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 340) A comparatively recent introduction, occasionally planted for ornamental purposes but showing little tendency to persist.
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Guadalcanal Island	introduced cultivated	Orapa, Warea (2005)

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)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (p. 47)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	introduced	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. 30) Cultivated only

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France (2010) Naturalisée, potentiellement envahissant
French Territory of Mayotte Mayotte Islands	Mayotte Island	introduced cultivated	Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France (2010)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Frégate Island		Robertson, S. A./Todd, D. M. (1983) (p. 46) Voucher cited: Robertson 2732

Comments:  A "weed of national significance" in Australia. A major environmental weed of central and northern Queensland, Australia. A declared noxious weed there as well as in the Northern Territory and Western Australia (Smith, 2002; p. 47).

Invasive in the Virgin Islands (Fred Kraus, communication to Aliens listserver).

See also Cryptostegia madagascariensis.

Control: 

Physical: Hand treatment is practical only on a small scale.

Chemical: "Overall spraying with a hand wand gives effective control of scattered young plants up to 1.5 meters high, but results are affected by time of application and the formulations used.  Apply ester 2,4-D, dicamba as the dimethylamine salt or picloram + 2,4-D as the tri-isopropanolamine salts in autumn, using water as the carrier and thoroughly wetting both the foliage and the stems.  In general, dicamba and picloram give better results but are more expensive and more environmentally damaging than 2,4-D.  Of the application methods available for the treatment of large mature plants, a modified basal bark application gives better results than application to the upper stems which, in turn, is more effective than overall foliage sprays.  In basal bark treatments, sever the stems about 50 cm above the ground and apply ester 2,4-D, picloram, triclopyr or mixtures of these herbicides, or with hexazinone or metsulfuron alone with a spotgun, thoroughly wetting the butts all around.  Cut stump treatments also give good results.  In this technique, sever the stems at ground level and swab the cut surfaces immediately with one or other of the herbicides suggested for basal bark treatments.  Stem injection treatments with picloram or hexazinone also give good results"  (Parsons and Cuthbertson, 1992; pp. 176-179).

Rubber vine may require more than one treatment and may take up to two years to die.

Biological: "Two biological control agents have become widespread in Queensland since their release in the early 1990s. The rubber vine rust Maravalia cryptostegiae forms on the underside of leaves and causes them to turn yellow and drop. The rust thrives during the wet season but is less active over the dry season. Frequent showers early in the season should result in heavy infestations of rust. The other agent is the moth Euclasta whalleyi, whose caterpillars feed on rubber vine leaves between March and October. The moth has a black spot on each wing and characteristically rests with its wings folded at 45º to a vertical surface. The caterpillars tend to feed on the underside of new leaves, often leaving fine silken threads and black bead-like droppings. Both agents, especially the rust, cause damage (eg reduced flowering, seed pod production and leaf cover) and occasionally the death of established plants. However, their effectiveness varies with climatic conditions"  (Australian Weed Management Guide).

Additional information:
Report (PDF format) from US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station, Hawaii "Plants of Hawaii".
Rubber vine "wanted" poster from Maui Invasive Species Committee, Hawai‘i.
From the Government of Queensland, Australia:
    Rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) factsheet
    Rubber vine pest risk assessment
    Rubber vine national strategic plan
Weed Management Guide from the Government of Australia. (PDF format).
Information from the Global Invasive Species Database.

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

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1963. Voucher specimen #BISH 73093 (Fosberg, F.R. 43479).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1965. Voucher specimen #BISH 452831 (unknown s.n.).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1992. Voucher specimen #BISH 633771 (Florence 10106).

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1930. Voucher specimen #BISH73095(Wilder, G.P. s.n.).

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1994. Voucher specimen #BISH641231(Flynn, T. 5631).

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

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.

Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France. 2010. Les espéces envahissantes en outre-mer (online resource).

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).

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe. 1996. Conséquences des introductions d'espèces animales et végétales sur la biodiversité en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Rev. Ecol. (Terre Vie) 51:375-401.

Julien, M. H. (ed.). 1992. Biological control of weeds: A world catalogue of agents and their target weeds (third edition). CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 186 pp.

Lau, Alex/Frohlich, Danielle. 2012. New plant records from O‘ahu for 2009. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2011. Part II: Plants. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 113:7-26.

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

Marohasy, J./Forster, P. I. 1991. A taxonomic revision of Cryptostegia R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae: Periplocoideae). Aust. Syst. Bot. 4.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 3 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 628 pp.

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.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2007. The snake-like climber Anodendron paniculatum (Apocynaceae), a "new" invasive liana in the rainforests of Tahiti (Pacific Ocean). In: Aliens 24/25:10-11.

Orapa, Warea. 2005. Warea Orapa, Weed Mangement Officer, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, pers. com. (Trip Report, Solomon Islands, 19 April to 10 May, 2005).

Parsons, W. T./Cuthbertson, E. G. 1992. Noxious weeds of Australia. Inkata Press, Melbourne/Sydney. 692 pp.

Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty]. 1984. Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago for naturalists. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. 638 pp. ISBN 9980-66-000-7.

Robertson, S. A./Todd, D. M. 1983. Vegetation of Frégate Island, Seychelles. In: Sachet, M. H., D. R. Stoddart, and F. R. Fosberg. Floristics and ecology of Western Indian Ocean islands. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 273. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 253 pp.

Sachet, M-H. 1983. Takapoto Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago: terrestrial vegetation and flora. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 277. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 41 pp. + photos.

Sachet, M.-H./Fosberg, F. R. 1983. An ecological reconnaissance of Tetiaroa Atoll, Society Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 275. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 67 pp. + photos.

Smith, Nicholas M. 2002. Weeds of the wet/dry tropics of Australia - a field guide. Environment Centre NT, Inc. 112 pp.

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.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. 2000. Survey of invasive or potentially invasive cultivated plants in Hawai‘i. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers No. 65. 35 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

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

Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. 1999. Botanical survey of the United States of America Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Islands. Prepared for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the U. S. Army Environmental Center. 111 pp.