Pyracantha angustifolia (Franch.) C.K.Schneid., Rosaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  yes

Risk assessment results: 

Reject, score: 18 (Go to the risk assessment (Australia))
High risk, score: 13 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific))

Other Latin names:  Cotoneaster angustifolia Franch.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: firethorn

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrubs up to 4 m tall; stems rigid, erect or sprawling, many-branched, forming a dense growth, young branches tomentose, thorns leafy. Leaves oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 1.5-5 cm long, 0.5-1.6 cm wide, upper surface pubescent when young, soon glabrate and dark green, lower surface grayish tomentose, margins entire or with a few small teeth near apex, apex obtuse and mucronulate, or emarginate, base cuneate-attenuate. Flowers in dense corymbs 2-4 cm in diameter, pubescent throughout; sepals broadly deltate, 0.8-1 mm long, margins minutely denticulate; petals 8-10 mm long. Fruit bright orange to brick-red, depressed-globose, 6-8 mm in diameter" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1105).

Habitat/ecology:  Moist and wet forests and open areas, 3,000-5,000 ft. elevation in Hawai‘i. Forms dense thickets that exclude other plants and make access difficult due to its thorns. In Australia, small populations, mostly in lowland grassland/grassy woodland, dry/damp sclerophyll forests and riparian vegetation in Victoria state, naturalized in New South Wales, and along creek-banks in southeast Queensland (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 126).

Propagation:  Seed. Prolific producer of fruits that are attractive to birds.

Native range:  Southwestern China

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1999) (pp. 9-10) Pyracantha crenatoserrata, voucher cited: F.R. Fosberg 44463 (BISH); Pyracantha koidzumii, voucher cited: W.L. Wagner, S. Mill, T. Flynn & R. Gustafson 5267 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1999) (pp. 9-10) Voucher cited: J. Plews s.n. (BISH 502793); also Pyracantha crenatoserrata (Hance) Rehder, voucher cited: D. Lorence, T. Flynn & J. Talbot 6002 (BISH); and Pyrocantha koidzumii Rehder, vel aff., voucher cited: J. Plews s.n. (BISH 523723)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2003) (p. 31) East MauI: Pyracantha koidzumii, voucher cited: Starr & Martz 000831-7 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1999) (p. 9)

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)	New South Wales	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 126) Also Victoria.
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 126)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Owen, S. J. (1997)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 1099) "Wasteland, scrub, roadsides".

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
South Africa South Africa	South Africa (Republic of)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Comments:  Pyracantha angustifolia and Pyracantha crenata are invasive in South Africa.
Mostly a cultivated plant of warm temperate areas but a threat at high elevations in the tropics, as in Hawai‘i.
Similar species: Pyracantha fortuneana (Maxim.) H. L. Li, Pyracantha koidzumii (Hayata) Rehder

Control: 

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

Chemical:  Cut large plants and treat the stumps with herbicide. "Somewhat tolerant of triclopyr.  May require crop oil as adjuvant to enhance herbicide uptake.  Katie Cassel (Kōke‘e Museum) reports that cut-stump treatments with glyphosate or triclopyr are effective.  Application of triclopyr to frills or basal bark caused slow and erratic results.  Application of glyphosate (undiluted product) to frill was somewhat more effective than triclopyr.  HAVO staff reported control with foliar applications of triclopyr amine at 2% product in water (Chris Zimmer, HAVO)"  (Motooka et al., 2003).

Additional information:  Information from the book "Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide" (Motooka et al., 2003). (PDF format).

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

Taxonomic information about Pyracantha angustifolia 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.

Herbarium Pacificum Staff. 1999. New Hawaiian plant records for 1998. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1998. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 58:3-11.

Motooka, Philip/Castro, Luisa/Nelson, Duane/ Nagai, Guy/Ching, Lincoln. 2003. Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 184 pp.

Owen, S. J. 1997. Ecological weeds on conservation land in New Zealand: A database. Working draft. Wellington, New Zealand. Department of Conservation.

Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. 2003. New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2001-2002. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 74:23-34.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

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.