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).

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. (2009)

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.

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./Hepper, F. N. 1954. Flora of West Tropical Africa, second edition. Crown Agents, London.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.