Muehlenbeckia platyclada (F. Muell.) Meisn., Polygonaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 6 (Go to the risk assessment).

Other Latin names:  Homalocladium platycladum (F. Muell.) L. H. Bailey; Polygonum platycladum F. Muell.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: centipede plant, ribbon bush, tape plant, tapewormplant

Fijian: vono ni vavalangi

Filipino: alupihan

Spanish: solitaria, tenia

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "An erect, c. 1 m tall shruby plant with broad, flat, thin, articulate, delicately striate, ribbon-like phylloclades. Leaves sessile, membranous, entire, often lobed at base, 1.5-6.5 cm long. Ochreae 1-2 mm long, ovate, obtuse. Flowers 1-6 in sessile clusters, bracteate, bracts ovate, c. 1 mm long. Perianth segments 5, greenish, oblong, 1-1.5 mm long. Stamens 8. Ovary ovoid, 3-angular c. 1 mm long; styles 3. Nuts enclosed in the fleshy deep red or purplish perianth"  (Flora of Pakistan online).

"A small or large vine, often somewhat woody below, sometimes suberect, glabrous, pale green; older stems subterete, the branches flat and ribbon-like, mostly 1-1.5 cm. wide, many-nerved, conspicuously articulate and divided by cross partitions into short joints; flowers small and greenish, inserted at the sides of the nodes; fruits small, berry-like, bright red"  (Standley and Steyermark, 1946; 24(4) pp. 120-121).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Caledonia: "Cette plante curieuse, assez répandue mais jamais commune dans les jardins et très rarement subspontanée, ne semble pas être indigène en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Quoi qu'il en soit, l'espèce paraÎt être introduite en Nouvelle-Calédonie, peut-être avant l'arrivée dos Européen bien qu'aujourd'hui elle ne soit pas spécialement associée aux jardins mélanésiens. Elle serait indigène en Nouvelle-Guinée et aux Iles Salomon mais seulement plantée en d'autres pays tropicaux" (MacKee, 1994; pp.116-117).  "

In the Hawaiian Islands it is said to prefer a heavily shaded, humid, sheltered situation, but it also grows in lighter shade or almost full sun as long as adequate soil moisture is provided; it prefers a good deal of water, more than is found in most gardens, and does not tolerate salt spray.  On the other hand, in southern Florida it has been recommended as a shrub suitable for use in xeriscape gardens, with moderate drought tolerance and a high light requirement"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; pp. 463-464).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 307) As Homalocladium platycladum (F. J. Muell.) L. H. Bailey. Vouchers cited: DA 3014, DA 738
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Fatu Hiva Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) As Homalocladium platycladum (F.J. Mueller) L.H. Bailey
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) As Homalocladium platycladum (F.J. Mueller) L.H. Bailey
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) As Homalocladium platycladum (F.J. Mueller) L.H. Bailey; voucher cited: J. Florence 2398 (PAP)
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rurutu Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) As Homalocladium platycladum (F.J. Mueller) L.H. Bailey
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1936) (voucher ID: BISH 63703) Taxon name on voucher: Homalocladium platycladum
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (year unknown) (voucher ID: PTBG 56167) Taxon name on voucher: Homalocladium platycladum
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1937) (voucher ID: BISH 63704) Taxon name on voucher: Homalocladium platycladum
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (pp. 116-117) Vouchers cited: Hughan s.n. (MEL), Grunow s.n. (W), Däniker 2857 (Z), MacKee 15877
New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea) New Guinea Island	New Guinea Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 307)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 307)

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)	introduced cultivated	Randall, R. P. (2007) (p. 316)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Naturalized
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1946) (pp. 24(4)120-121) Cultivated commonly for ornament or as a curiosity in gardens at low and middle elevations; more or less naturalized about Coban in thickets and hedges, and probably also in other parts of the country.
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Naturalized
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Naturalized

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

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1936. Voucher specimen #BISH63703(Fosberg, F.O. 55).

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1937. Voucher specimen #BISH63704(Judd, A.F. s.n.).

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).

Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. 2008. Flora of the Marquesas Islands. National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Institution. Online database.

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

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 0. Voucher specimen #PTBG56167(Natalia Tangalin 1573).

Randall, R. P. 2007. The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status. CRC for Australian Weed Management, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. 524 pp.
Also:  Searchable online database at http://weeds.cbit.uq.edu.au/.

Smith, Albert C. 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 2. 810 pp.

Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. 1946. Flora of Guatemala. Fieldiana: Botany. Vol. 24, Part IV. Chicago Natural History Museum.

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.

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