Research directed by C. Daehler (UH Botany) with funding from the Kaulunani Urban Forestry Program and US Forest Service

Information on Risk Assessments
Original risk assessment

Morella faya (Myrica faya); firetree

Answer

1.01

Is the species highly domesticated?

y=-3, n=0

n

1.02

Has the species become naturalized where grown?

y=-1, n=-1

y

1.03

Does the species have weedy races?

y=-1, n=-1

n

2.01

Species suited to tropical or subtropical climate(s) (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) – If island is primarily wet habitat, then substitute “wet tropical” for “tropical or subtropical”

See Append 2

1

2.02

Quality of climate match data (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) see appendix 2

2

2.03

Broad climate suitability (environmental versatility)

y=1, n=0

y

2.04

Native or naturalized in regions with tropical or subtropical climates

y=1, n=0

y

2.05

Does the species have a history of repeated introductions outside its natural range? y=-2

?=-1, n=0

n

3.01

Naturalized beyond native range y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2), n= question 2.05

y

3.02

Garden/amenity/disturbance weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

3.03

Agricultural/forestry/horticultural weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

y

3.04

Environmental weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

y

3.05

Congeneric weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

4.01

Produces spines, thorns or burrs

y=1, n=0

n

4.02

Allelopathic

y=1, n=0

n

4.03

Parasitic

y=1, n=0

n

4.04

Unpalatable to grazing animals

y=1, n=-1

y

4.05

Toxic to animals

y=1, n=0

n

4.06

Host for recognized pests and pathogens

y=1, n=0

n

4.07

Causes allergies or is otherwise toxic to humans

y=1, n=0

n

4.08

Creates a fire hazard in natural ecosystems

y=1, n=0

n

4.09

Is a shade tolerant plant at some stage of its life cycle

y=1, n=0

n

4.1

Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions (or limestone conditions if not a volcanic island)

y=1, n=0

y

4.11

Climbing or smothering growth habit

y=1, n=0

n

4.12

Forms dense thickets

y=1, n=0

y

5.01

Aquatic

y=5, n=0

n

5.02

Grass

y=1, n=0

n

5.03

Nitrogen fixing woody plant

y=1, n=0

y

5.04

Geophyte (herbaceous with underground storage organs -- bulbs, corms, or tubers)

y=1, n=0

n

6.01

Evidence of substantial reproductive failure in native habitat

y=1, n=0

n

6.02

Produces viable seed.

y=1, n=-1

y

6.03

Hybridizes naturally

y=1, n=-1

n

6.04

Self-compatible or apomictic

y=1, n=-1

6.05

Requires specialist pollinators

y=-1, n=0

n

6.06

Reproduction by vegetative fragmentation

y=1, n=-1

n

6.07

Minimum generative time (years) 1 year = 1, 2 or 3 years = 0, 4+ years = -1

See left

6

7.01

Propagules likely to be dispersed unintentionally (plants growing in heavily trafficked areas)

y=1, n=-1

n

7.02

Propagules dispersed intentionally by people

y=1, n=-1

y

7.03

Propagules likely to disperse as a produce contaminant

y=1, n=-1

n

7.04

Propagules adapted to wind dispersal

y=1, n=-1

n

7.05

Propagules water dispersed

y=1, n=-1

n

7.06

Propagules bird dispersed

y=1, n=-1

y

7.07

Propagules dispersed by other animals (externally)

y=1, n=-1

n

7.08

Propagules survive passage through the gut

y=1, n=-1

y

8.01

Prolific seed production (>1000/m2)

y=1, n=-1

y

8.02

Evidence that a persistent propagule bank is formed (>1 yr)

y=1, n=-1

y

8.03

Well controlled by herbicides

y=-1, n=1

y

8.04

Tolerates, or benefits from, mutilation, cultivation, or fire

y=1, n=-1

y

8.05

Effective natural enemies present locally (e.g. introduced biocontrol agents)

y=-1, n=1

y

Total score:

8

Source

Notes

1.01

no evidence

1.02

Kim, J. Y. (1969). "'Myrica faya' control in Hawaii." Down to Earth 25(3): 23-25.

AB: "first introduced into Hawaii as an ornamental but now a serious weed of forests and pastures)"

1.03

no evidence

2.01

Lutzow-Felling, C.J., D.E. Gardener, G.P. Markin, and C.W. Smith. 1995. Myrica faya : review of the biology, ecology, distribution, and control, including an annotated bibliography. Honolulu, Hawai`i : Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawai`i at Manoa, Dept. of Botany, 1995. 114pp.

p.11" Myrica faya is endemic to Macaronesia, in north eastern Atlantic Ocean approximately between37N to 16N latitude and 32E to 14E laongitude." [Cape Verde - Canary Islands - Madeira - Azores]

2.02

2.03

USDA, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry (2001) Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). Species information of Morella faya available at: <http://www.hear.org/pier/mofay.htm>

"150-1,310 m elevation in Hawai'i. "

2.04

CAB International, (2000) Forestry Compendium Global Module. Wallingford, UK: CAB International.

List of countries with natural populations:
Europe [Portugal] Azores, [Spain] Canary Islands

2.05

(1) USDA, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry (2001) Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). Species information of Morella faya available at: <http://www.hear.org/pier/mofay.htm>
(2) Lutzow-Felling, C.J., D.E. Gardener, G.P. Markin, and C.W. Smith. 1995. Myrica faya : review of the biology, ecology, distribution, and control, including an annotated bibliography. Honolulu, Hawai`i : Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawai`i at Manoa, Dept. of Botany, 1995. 114pp.

(1) Presence:
Pacific islands: Hawai'i
Pacific rim: Australia (cult. in botanic gardens per Csurhes and Edwards, 1998), New Zealand (Naturalised in Chatham Is.; not yet seen naturalised mainland NZ, but cultivated widely in NZ" (Owen, 1997).
(2) p.22-23 [questionable record in Florida, and uncertain introduced/native status in Portuguese mailand and Morocco]

3.01

Kim, J. Y. (1969). "'Myrica faya' control in Hawaii." Down to Earth 25(3): 23-25.

AB: "first introduced into Hawaii as an ornamental but now a serious weed of forests and pastures)"

3.02

no evidence

3.03

(1)Kim, J. Y. (1969). "'Myrica faya' control in Hawaii." Down to Earth 25(3): 23-25. (2)Holm et al. 1977 Geographic Atlas of World Weeds

(1)AB: "first introduced into Hawaii as an ornamental but now a serious weed of forests and pastures)" (2)Prinicple weed of agriculture: US; Hawaii

3.04

(1)Kim, J. Y. (1969). "'Myrica faya' control in Hawaii." Down to Earth 25(3): 23-25. (2)Wagner, W.L., D.R. Herbst and S.H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai`i. University of Hawai`i Press, Honolulu (3)http://www.hear.org/pier/pdf/pohreports/morella_faya.pdf (4)http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/cw_smith/myr_fay.htm

(1) "first introduced into Hawaii as an ornamental but now a serious weed of forests and pastures)" (2)This rapidly growing, noxious, evergreen tree, reaching up to 15 m in height, invades mesic and wet habitats where it forms dense, monotypic stands. The leaves are suspected of some allelopathic activity. It has the ability to fix nitrogen and can grow under a closed forest canopy, taking advantage of any disturbance to grow rapidly. In Hawai`i, naturalized and a serious pest, becoming dominant in many areas, occurring in mesic to wet forest, 150-1,310 m (3)invades a variety of habitats from disturbed pasture and ranchland to native mesic and wet open forests on the islands of Hawai'i, Maui, Lana'i, O'ahu, and Kaua'i. (4)invades mesic and wet habitats where it forms dense, monotypic stands...The principal infestations are in Koke'e, Kaua'i; Wai'anae Mts., O'ahu; lower Kula, Maui; Kolele, Lana'i; and Hamakua, Hualalai, and Volcano Golf Course and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i.

3.05

no evidence

4.01

Wagner, W.L., D.R. Herbst and S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the flowing plants of Hawai‘i. Revised edition. University of Hawai‘i Press, Honolulu. 1853pp.

no description of these traits

4.02

no evidence

4.03

no evidence

4.04

Lutzow-Felling, C.J., D.E. Gardener, G.P. Markin, and C.W. Smith. 1995. Myrica faya : review of the biology, ecology, distribution, and control, including an annotated bibliography. Honolulu, Hawai`i : Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawai`i at Manoa, Dept. of Botany, 1995. 114pp.

p.42" firetree did not appear to be a prefered fodder for livestock, and only young shoot were selected."

4.05

no evidence

4.06

no evidence

4.07

no evidence

4.08

"Report on the forest fire on the island of La Gomera in September 1984." [retrieved fron CABI without source information]

AB: "Dense natural stands of 'beech' [M. faya] proved to be an effective firebreak."

4.09

(1) Arevalo, J. R., J. M. Fernandez-Palacios, et al. (1999). "Tree regeneration and future dynamics of the laurel forest on Tenerife, Canary Islands." Journal of Vegetation Science 10(6): 861-868.
(2) Pierre Binggeli. 1997. Woody Plant Ecology. Information of Myrica faya avilable at: <http://members.lycos.co.uk/WoodyPlantEcology/docs/web-sp12.htm>

(1) AB: "shade-intolerant species (Erica arborea, Erica scoparia and Myrica faya)"
(2) "Regenerates freely under open canopy but not under full canopy."

4.1

Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas. . Aweb-based project of the Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group. Fact sheet of M. faya available at: <http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/myfa1.htm>

"Fire tree adapts to a wide range of habitats and soil types --from thin ash over lava to deep, well developed, silty-clay or loam soils. "

4.11

tree

4.12

Walker, L. R. and P. M. Vitousek (1991). "An invader alters germination and growth of a native dominant tree in Hawai'i." Ecology 72(4): 1449-1455.

AB: "Myrica faya does not readily invade closed, late successional Metrosideros polymorpha forests, but can establish dense monospecific stands on young, disturbed soils, under which M. polymorpha cannot naturally regenerate."

5.01

terrestrial

5.02

tree; Myricaceae

5.03

Vitousek, P. M. and L. R. Walker (1989). "Biological invasion by Myrica faya in Hawai'i: plant demography, nitrogen fixation, ecosystem effects." Ecological Monographs 59(3): 247-265.

AB: "Annual nitrogen fixation by M. faya was estimated at 18 kg/ha in a densely colonized site (vs. 0.2 kg/ha for all indigenous sources and <4 kg/ha added from precipitation). Nitrogen fixed by M. faya became available for other organisms and so affected the whole ecosystem."

5.04

tree

6.01

no evidence

6.02

Woodward, S. A., P. M. Vitousek, et al. (1990). "Use of the exotic tree Myrica faya by native and exotic birds in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park." Pacific Science 44(1): 88-93.

AB: "Over one-third of the captured Z. japonicus produced faecal samples containing M. faya seeds, and those seeds were as viable as those picked from M. faya trees and beneath their canopies."

6.03

http://wpsm.net/Morella_&_Myrica.pdf

no record of hybrids

6.04

Lutzow-Felling, C.J., D.E. Gardener, G.P. Markin, and C.W. Smith. 1995. Myrica faya : review of the biology, ecology, distribution, and control, including an annotated bibliography. Honolulu, Hawai`i : Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawai`i at Manoa, Dept. of Botany, 1995. 114pp.

p.32 "M. faya is normally a dioecious plant, ut viable stamens sometimes form on pistillate plants, and conversely, viable ovules can develop on staminate plants. Thus, this primarily out-breeding species can undergo temoprary reersal to self-compatability by producing functional pistillate or staminate organs on a typical unisexual plant."

6.05

Pierre Binggeli. 1997. Woody Plant Ecology. Information of Myrica faya avilable at: <http://members.lycos.co.uk/WoodyPlantEcology/docs/web-sp12.htm>

"It appears to be a wind-pollinated species although in Hawai'i it is visited by the introduced Apis mellifera. "

6.06

no evidence

6.07

Lutzow-Felling, C.J., D.E. Gardener, G.P. Markin, and C.W. Smith. 1995. Myrica faya : review of the biology, ecology, distribution, and control, including an annotated bibliography. Honolulu, Hawai`i : Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawai`i at Manoa, Dept. of Botany, 1995. 114pp.

p.32 "Fire tree have been observed to begin fruiting at an early stage of development (tree with 2-3 cm basal diameter and a mean age of 6 years)."

7.01

no evidence

7.02

AB: "first introduced into Hawaii as an ornamental"

7.03

no evidence

7.04

fruit a berry

7.05

no evidence

7.06

Nogales, M., E. C. Hernandez, et al. (1999). "Seed dispersal by common ravens Corvus corax among island habitats (Canarian Archipelago)." Ecoscience 6(1): 56-61.

AB: "the common raven appears to be an important disperser for nine plant species: Lycium intricatum (Solanaceae), Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae), Rubia fruticosa and Plocama pendula (Rubiaceae), Juniperus turbinata and J. cedrus (Cupressaceae), Phoenix canariensis (Arecaceae), Asparagus pastorianus (Liliaceae), and Myrica faya (Myricaceae)."

7.07

no evidence

7.08

Woodward, S. A., P. M. Vitousek, et al. (1990). "Use of the exotic tree Myrica faya by native and exotic birds in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park." Pacific Science 44(1): 88-93.

AB: "Seven species of exotic birds were seen visiting M. faya, and 5 of these were observed ingesting the fruit. The most frequent visitor and consumer was the Japanese White eye (Zosterops japonicus). Over one-third of the captured Z. japonicus produced faecal samples containing M. faya seeds, and those seeds were as viable as those picked from M. faya trees and beneath their canopies."

8.01

Ryan Seibold. Controlling Fire Tree (Myrica faya) in Hawaii. Available at: <http://www.hort.agri.umn.edu/h5015/00papers/seibold.htm>

"prolific seed production (ranging from 40,000 to 400,00 fruits/year) "

8.02

(1) Arevalo, J. R. and J. M. Fernandez-Palacios (2000). "Seed bank analysis of tree species in two stands of the Tenerife laurel forest (Canary Islands)." Forest Ecology and Management 130(1/3): 177- 185.
(2) Walker, L. R. (1990). "Germination of an invading tree species (Myrica faya) in Hawaii." Biotropica 22(2): 140-145.
The effects of fruit age, number of seeds per fruit, passage through birds, leaf litter, shade and endocarp scarification on germination of M. faya were measured using seeds collected in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Germination declined from >80% after storage for 10 wk to 30% after 78 wk. Mesocarp removal and endocarp scarification slightly increased germination after 15 wk, but not after 92 wk; number of seeds per fruit and passage through birds had no effect on germination. Leaf litter from M. faya and from native Metrosideros polymorpha reduced germination. Germination was greatest with intermediate shade.

(1) AB: "Shade tolerant species (Laurus azorica, Persea indica, Rhamnus glandulosa and Viburnum tinus) had a shorter germination delay than shade-intolerant species (Erica arborea, Erica scoparia and Myrica faya), which dominated the seed bank. "
(2) AB: "Germination declined from >80% after storage for 10 wk to 30% after 78 wk. Mesocarp removal and endocarp scarification slightly increased germination after 15 wk, but not after 92 wk."

8.03

Ryan Seibold. Controlling Fire Tree (Myrica faya) in Hawaii. Available at: <http://www.hort.agri.umn.edu/h5015/00papers/seibold.htm>

Chemical Control
"Research by Donald E. Gardner from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in the early 1980s focused on finding the least labor-intensive method of chemical treatment on firetree. Herbicidal control agents that have been tested include: 1) 4% Kuron in diesel oil; 2) Tordon 22K; and 3) Roundup (glyphosate). Chemical control of firetree is often not feasible because the sites most highly invaded are within Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park where herbicide is avoided at all costs. However, Gardner and Kageler (1982) investigated the efficiency and environmental soundness of herbicidal treatments in the early 1980s, acknowledging that the intensity of firetree invasion allows permission of chemicals as appropriate control agents. This research found that injection of undiluted Roundup was a more successful treatment to previous herbicidal control programs. The previous control program composed a treatment of 4% Kuron in diesel oil, which involved spraying the solution on the lower tree stems so that a 0

8.04

http://members.lycos.co.uk/WoodyPlantEcology/docs/web-sp12.htm

"Burnt trees may resprout."

8.05

(1) Adler, P. B., C. M. D'Antonio, et al. (1998). "Understory succession following a dieback of Myrica faya in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park." Pacific Science 52(1): 69-78.
(2) Ryan Seibold. Controlling Fire Tree (Myrica faya) in Hawaii.
Available at: <http://www.hort.agri.umn.edu/h5015/00papers/seibold.htm>

(1) AB: "An insect- caused dieback of M. faya that began in the late 1980s." [two spotted leafhopper; Sophonia rufostachia]
(2) "Botrytis cinerea is the first locally established pathogen that has been found to diminish the survival of firetree communities. Duffy and Gardner (1994) report B. cinerea as one of the more promising control agents because it poses little or no threat to native species in firetree's range. This fungus causes fruit rot, which ultimately affects the reproductive capacity and spread of firetree populations. Infection of B. cinerea was found by Duffy and Gardner (1994) to significantly reduce firetree seed viability from 66 to 16.8% in 1992 in a site in Hiawaii Volcanoes National Park. The infected fruit were also found to be less attractive to birds, therefore lessening the spread of firetree. Interestingly, firetree's spread would be much more widespread without B. cinerea having a control factor on it already; apparently, the effect of this fungus, until now, was not easily percepti