Tibouchina urvilleana Cogn., Melastomataceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 10 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Tibouchina semidecandra (DC.) Cogn.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: glorybush, lasiandra, princess flower, purple glorytree

French: balmane, doudoul, griffe du diable, pensée malgache

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrubs or small trees 1-4 m tall; young branches quadrate, densely villous to hirtellous. Leaves elliptic-ovate to lanceolate, 4-12 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, 5-7-nerved, upper surface strigose, the hairs not adnate to surface, lower surface sericeous, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, base obtuse to rounded, petioles 5-20 mm long. Inflorescences terminal, 8-15 cm long (incl. peduncle), with 2 bracts subtending each simple cyme, bracts elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 2.5-3 cm long, 0.8-1.4 cm wide, deciduous, bracteoles enclosing and concealing floral buds; hypanthium densely strigose; calyx lobes linear-subulate, 12-15 mm long, 3-5 mm wide, deciduous after anthesis; petals 5, purple, 25-40 mm long, 20-40 mm wide; stamens dimorphic; larger anthers 15-16 mm long, connective prolonged 6-7 mm, with an appendage ca. 1 mm long, smaller anthers 11-14 mm long, with shorter connective and appendage but otherwise as in larger anthers; filaments glandular puberulent at base. Fruiting hypanthium 14-15 mm long, 9-10 mm wide. Mature seeds not seen" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 916).

Habitat/ecology:  Reaches heights of 4 m and forms thickets in wet habitats. In wet areas from 200-1700 m (Smith, 1985; p. 204).  "Forms dense thickets in disturbed areas in forests"  (Motooka et al., 2003).

Propagation:  Perhaps by seed, but mostly vegetatively.

Native range:  Southern Brazil.

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	Rarotonga Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2007) In cultivation, apparently not producing seeds or suckers.
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 13)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 914, 916)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 914, 916)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 914, 916)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 914, 916)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 100) Vouchers cited: MacKee 34891, MacKee 42476
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive	Sykes, W. R. (1977) (p. 114)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 838) "Denham Bay (Raoul). Around old abandoned gardens and roadside plantings, only a minor escape from cultivation".
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 11) Remnants of cultivation?

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive cultivated	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 838) "Around old abandoned gardens and roadside plantings, only a minor escape from cultivation".

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Très envahissant"

Comments:  Very invasive in Hawai‘i. On list of plants to be excluded from French Polynesia. Isolated specimens seen near the top of the cross-island road, Upolu, Samoa (Space & Flynn, 2002). One location on Rarotonga, Cook Islands (Space & Flynn, 2002).

Control: 

Chemical: "Metsulfuron in foliar sprays 80% effective, glyphosate reportedly not effective.  Bryon Stephens (DOFAW) reported good control with drizzle application of triclopyr ester at 5% of product in water applied on sunny days.  HAVO staff reported control with triclopyr ester at 2% in water applied as foliar sprays (Chris Zimmer, HAVO).  Katie Cassel (Kōke‘e Museum) reported triclopyr ester at 20% product in oil applied to cut surfaces effective on plants with stems 1 inch diameter, basal bark applications effective.  Matted stems, however, presented a coverage problem.  Cut-stump treatments with triclopyr ester at 20% in diesel oil were effective"  (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).
Report (PDF format) from US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station, Hawai‘i "Plants of Hawaii".
Fact sheet from "Common forest trees of Hawaii" (PDF format).

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

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

References:

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

Little, Elbert L./Skolmen, Roger G. 1989. Common forest trees of Hawaii (native and introduced). USDA Agriculture Handbook 679. Washington, D.C. 377 pp. + plates.

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

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

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.

Smith, Clifford W. 1985. Impact of Alien Plants on Hawai‘i's Native Biota. In: Stone, Charles P. and Scott, J. Michael, eds. Hawai‘i's terrestrial ecosystems: preservation and Management. Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of the Cook Islands on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 146 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of Samoa on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 83 pp.

Sykes, W. R. 1977. Kermadec Islands flora: an annotated checklist. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 219, Wellington. 216 pp.

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.