Datura ferox L., Solanaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Reject, score: 21 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: fierce thorn-apple, large thorn-apple, long-spine thorn-apple

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Stout annual herb, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with non-glandular hairs.  Mature leaves from broadly-ovate and somewhat angular to rounded-triangular, the lamina up to 14 cm long and 16 cm wide, with a few shallow usually toothed or sinuate lobes.  Calyx to 3.5 cm long, 5-lobed, the lobes 4-7 mm long.  Corolla 4-6 cm long, white, 5-lobed, the lobes ending in a point 1-2 mm long.  Stamens not exserted; anthers 3-4 mm long.  Style c. 3 cm long; stigma below anthers. Capsule ellipsoid or nearly so, to 4 cm long, erect, spiny; spines usually 40-60, stout, conical, sharp, usually longer near capsule summit, the longest at least half length of capsule; persistent base of calyx to 8 mm long. Seeds 4-5 mm long, black or grey"  (George, 1982; pp. 182-183).

"Herbacée à arbrisseau annuel atteignant 1,5 m de hauteur, reconnaissable à ses grandes fleurs solitaires de couleur blanchâtre et ses fruits secs (capsules) à grandes épines" (Meyer, 2008; p. 31).

Habitat/ecology:  In Australia, "a weed of waste ground and disturbed areas in agricultural and pastoral districts; often a serious weed of summer grain crops in Queensland and New South Wales" (George, 1982; pp. 182-183).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Native to China but now widely distributed in warm regions of the world"  (George, 1982; pp. 182-183).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Rapa Nui (Easter) Island	Rapa Nui (Easter) Island (Isla de Pasqua)	introduced invasive cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2008) (pp. 31, 42) "Nous avons observé un bosquet d’individus épars en bordure de piste entre Tahai et Ahu Tepeu, poussant sur un monticule de gravats et de terre" (Meyer, 2008; p. 31).
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 91)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 130) Voucher cited: MacKee 39048 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)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 120)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 120)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 188)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive cultivated	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 1124) "In and near gardens, uncommon with some occurrences originating from imported birdseed".

Control:  "L’arrachage manuel des plants et éventuellement la lutte chimique par pulvérisation d’un herbicide sur les tiges et les feuilles (à base de glyphosate) sont réalisables" (Meyer, 2008; p. 31).

Additional information:
Additional online information about Datura ferox is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

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

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

References:

George, A. S., ed. 1982. Flora of Australia. Vol. 29, Solanaceae. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

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

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2008. Rapport de mission d'expertise a Rapa Nui du 02 au 11 Juin 2008: Plan d'action strategique pour lutter contre les plantes introduites envahissantes sur Rapa Nui (Île de pâques) [Strategic action plan to control invasive alien plants on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) [unpublished report]. Délégation à la Recherche, Ministère de l'Education, l'Enseignement supérieur et la Recherche, B.P. 20981 Papeete, Tahiti, Polynésie française. 62 pp. .

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Tassin, Jacques. 2005. Jacques Tassin (IAC-CIRAD), personal communication.

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

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.