Harungana madagascariensis (Choisy) Poir., Clusiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: dragon's-blood tree, haronga, harungana

French: bois harongue

Habit:  tree

Description:  "A tree or shrub, with orange-colored sap, clothed everywhere with fine stellate hairs; leaves opposite, ovate or ovate-elliptic, rounded, or sometimes cuneate or subcordate at base, acute or shortly acuminate at apex, 10-20 cm long, 6-10 cm broad, with rather numerous lateral nerves prominent beneath; petiole 1.5-2 cm long; flowers very small and numerous in a terminal corymbose cyme, its branches covered with coarse rusty indumentum. Flowers whitish, fragrant, dotted with black glands; drupes 2-4 seeded, 2.5-3.5 mm diam.; abundant on cleared ground in forest regions, also in fringing forest in the savannah regions" (Hutchinson and Dalziel, 1954; p. 290).

Habitat/ecology:  In its native range, a pioneer species in secondary regrowth in areas exceeding 1300 mm of annual rainfall. In north Queensland, Australia, invades cyclone-damaged forest, forest fringes, roadsides and drains. It can form dense thickets that exclude other species. It has the possibility of becoming a permanent component of tropical rainforests (Csurhes and Edwards, 1998; p. 109).  "Forests and forest edges, disturbed sites.  The plant grows naturally in forest clearings, in savanna and secondary forests.  it can form dense populations that exclude native vegetation and prevents the regeneration of native shrubs and trees.  Primarily it colonizes disturbed sites"  (Weber, 2003; p. 190).

Propagation:  Seeds, probably dispersed by frugivorous birds.

Native range:  Madagascar, Mauritius and tropical Africa.

Presence:

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	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 109)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Comments:  Wet tropical areas of northern Queensland, Australia (Csurhes and Edwards, 1998; p. 109).

Control: 

Physical:  Hand pull or dig out seedlings and young trees.

Chemical:  Cut large plants and treat the stumps with herbicide (Weber, 2003; p. 190).

Additional information:
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

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

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

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

References:

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

Humphries, S. E./Stanton, J. P. 1992. Weed assessment in the wet tropics world heritage area of north Queensland. Report to The Wet Tropics Management Agency. 75 pp. plus plates.

Hutchinson, J./Dalziel, M. D./Keay, R. W. J. 1954. Flora of West Tropical Africa, second edition. Crown Agents, London.

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

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.