Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C.B.Rob., Lauraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Indian laurel

French: avocat marron, bois d'oiseau

Kwara‘ae: ainikini

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Moderately-sized tree; bark thin, grey or pale brown; live bark 3 mm thick, pale brown, very slimy. Branchlets rather slender, stiff, minutely tomentellous towards apex, hairs very slender; terminal with dense layer of sub-appressed, glossy, long hairs. Leaves 7-15 x 3-7 cm, spirally arranged, very variable in size, usually oblong-oval or elliptic, shortly acuminate or obtuse, base acute, chartaceous to stiffly chartaceous, very densely, finely areolate-reticulate above, glabrous; midrib and slender lateral veins prominent, basal part of midrib often pilose, slightly impressed; paler beneath, minutely reticulate, very sparsely, minutely pilose, soon glabrous, midrib and lateral veins prominent, lateral veins slender, erect-patent, c. 8-12 pairs, secondary veins parallel, not horizontal. Petiole 1.5-3 cm long, slender, pilose. Flower umbels numerous, densely grey-tomentellous, 4-5 mm diameter; peduncles up to 5 mm long, slender, densely pilose on slender, short branches up to 14 mm long; perianth tube silky, funnel-shaped; tepals 0; stamens up to 20 with slender, very hairy filaments; glands on long stalks. Fruit c. 6 mm diameter, globose, purplish black, on flat, 4 mm diameter thin disc; fruiting pedicel slender" (Dassanayake, 1995).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Caledonia, assez commun à l'état spontané à la Dumbéa, rare ailleurs et peu planté" (MacKee, 1994; p. 71). In Sri Lanka, "low country, up to 1000 m altitude" (Dassanayake, 1995). In Mauritius, mid-elevation moist forests (David Lorence, pers. com.).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "From India and S. China to Malaysia, Australia and the western Pacific islands; introduced and established in Mauritius and other tropical regions" (Dassanayake, 1995).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 71) Vouchers cited: Le Rat 2304, Franc 15, MacKee 16217, Déméné in MacKee 18457, Jaffré 1310, Suprin in MacKee 46165
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 86)

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)	Northern Territory	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Comoros Comoro Islands	Anjouan (Nzwani) Island	introduced invasive	Vos, P. (2004) (p. 6)
Comoros Comoro Islands	Grande Comore (Njazidja) Island	introduced invasive	Vos, P. (2004) (p. 6)
Comoros Comoro Islands	Mohéli (Mwali) Island	introduced invasive	Vos, P. (2004) (p. 6)
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	MacDonald, I. A. W./Thebaud, C./Strahm, W. A./Strasberg, D. (1991) (pp. 51-61)
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Très envahissant"
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Kueffer, C./Lavergne, C. (2004) (p. 4)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, D./Sussman, R. W. (1986) (pp. 147-162)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	Rejmánek, M. (1996) (pp. 153-172)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced invasive	Kueffer, C./Mauremootoo, J. (2004) (pp. 7, 8)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Rodrigues Island		Kell, S. (1997) (pp. 13-14)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Rodrigues Island	introduced invasive	Kueffer, C./Mauremootoo, J. (2004) (pp. 7, 8)
French Territory of Mayotte Mayotte Islands	Mayotte Island	introduced invasive	Vos, P. (2004) (p. 6)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Frégate Island		Robertson, S. A./Todd, D. M. (1983) (p. 53) Voucher cited: Todd 21

Additional information:
An overview of invasive woody plants in the tropics.
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

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

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

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

References:

Dassanayake, M. D., gen. ed. 1995. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. Vol IX. Amerind Pub. Co., New Delhi. 482 pp.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Kell, S. 1997. Alien plant invasions on Rodrigues Island (Indian Ocean). Aliens 5:13-14.

Kueffer, C./Lavergne, C. 2004. Case studies on the status of invasive woody plant species in the western Indian Ocean. 4. R233;union. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Forestry Department, Forest Resources Division, Forest Resources Development Service, Working Paper FBS/4-4E. 37 pp.

Kueffer, C./Mauremootoo, J. 2004. Case studies on the status of invasive woody plant species in the western Indian Ocean. 3. Mauritius (islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Forestry Department, Forest Resources Division, Forest Resources Development Service, Working Paper FBS/4-3E. 35 pp.

Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .

Lorence, D./Sussman, R. W. 1986. Exotic species invasion into Mauritius wet forest remnants. Journal of Tropical Ecology 2: 147-162.

Lorence, D./Sussman, R. W. 1988. Diversity, density, and invasion in a Mauritian wet forest. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Garden 25:187-204.

MacDonald, I. A. W./Thebaud, C./Strahm, W. A./Strasberg, D. 1991. Effects of alien plant invasions on native vegetation remnants on La Reunion (Mascarenes Islands, Indian Ocean). Environmental Conservation 18 (1):51-61.

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

Rejmánek, M. 1996. Species richness and resistance to invasions. In: Orians, G., R. Dirzo and J. H. Cushman (eds.). Biodiversity and ecosystem processes in tropical forests. Springer-Verlag. pp. 153-172.

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.

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

Vos, P. 2004. Case studies on the status of invasive woody plant species in the western Indian Ocean. 2. The Comoros Archipelago (Union of the Comoros and Mayotte). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Forestry Department, Forest Resources Division, Forest Resources Development Service, Working Paper FBS/4-2E. 34 pp.