Passiflora mollissima (Passifloraceae) banana poka

(There has been some confusion in Hawaii regarding the taxonomy/identification of the plant commonly known as "banana poka," which has been variously called Passiflora mollissima, Passiflora tripartita var. tripartita, Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima, and Passiflora tarminiana. As far as we can determine, there is [2009] only a single taxon of this plant in Hawaii, and its current name is Passiflora tarminiana.) 

Species description or overview

Taxonomy & nomenclature

Passiflora mollissima information from ITIS
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System ITIS provides authoritative taxonomic information on Passiflora mollissima, as well as other plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

IPNI nomenclature info for Passiflora mollissima
Nomenclatural information about Passiflora mollissima is provided by The International Plant Names Index (IPNI).

Note on the identity of the introduced passionflower vine "banana poka" in Hawaii 
The aggressive alien vine known in Hawaii as " banana poka" has been identified as Passiflora mollissima (HBK.) Bailey, P. mixta L., or an introgressive hybrid between P. mollissima and some unnamed species due to its atypical morphology. Determination of the correct taxonomic status of this taxon is an important initial step in any biocontrol work. This paper reports a comparative analysis of Hawaiian material against type and other collections of this species complex.

Ecology & life history

See also these taxa

Passiflora tripartita (Passifloraceae) - HEAR species info
Categorized information about Passiflora tripartita (Passifloraceae) is presented by the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima (Passifloraceae): species information from HEAR
Categorized information about Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima (Passifloraceae) is presented by the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Passiflora tripartita var. tripartita: species information from HEAR
Categorized information about Passiflora tripartita var. tripartita (Passifloraceae) is presented by the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Impacts

Control methods

A test of two herbicides for use on banana poka (Passiflora mollissima) in Hawaii
Effective herbicide treatments for killing banana poka vines and stumps are identified in the publication available at the HEAR bibliography site (University of Hawaii, 1991).

Distribution

Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy (2000) 
The status of invasive plants, vertebrates, arthropods, molluscs, and crustaceans, and options for a regional invasive species strategy for the South Pacific are presented in this series of articles from the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, 2000.

Books

Invasive plants of California's wildlands
Bossard, Carla C., John M. Randall, and Marc C. Hoshovsky (eds.) . 2000. Invasive plants of California's wildlands. University of California Press. 360 pp. illus. ISBN: 0-520-22547-3.

A field guide to tropical and subtropical plants
Perry, Frances and Roy Hay. 1982. A field guide to tropical and subtropical plants. Ward Lock Limited, Great Britain. 136 pp. illus. ISBN: 0-442-26859-9.

Full-text articles

A test of two herbicides for use on banana poka (Passiflora mollissima) in Hawaii
Effective herbicide treatments for killing banana poka vines and stumps are identified in the publication available at the HEAR bibliography site (University of Hawaii, 1991).

The distribution, impact and potential management of the introduced vine Passiflora mollissima (Passifloraceae) in Hawai'i
Warshauer, Frederick R., James D. Jacobi, Anne Marie La Rosa, J. Michael Scott, and Clifford W. Smith. 1983. The distribution, impact and potential management of the introduced vine Passiflora mollissima (Passifloraceae) in Hawai'i. Technical report 48. Honolulu: Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawaii: Management and research
Stone, Charles P., Clifford W. Smith, and J. Timothy Tunison (eds.) . 1992. Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawaii: Management and research. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit. ISBN: 0-8248-1474-6.

Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy
South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP). Sherley, Greg (ed.) . 2000. Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. Apia, Samoa: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme. ISBN: 982-04-0214-X.

Turning the tide: The eradication of invasive species (proceedings of the International Conference on Eradication of Island Invasives)
Veitch, C.R. and M.N. Clout (eds.) . 2002. Turning the tide: The eradication of invasive species (proceedings of the International Conference on Eradication of Island Invasives). IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. vii + 414pp. ISBN: 2-8317-0682-3.

The biology and ecology of Passiflora mollissima in Hawaii
An extensive review of the ecology of banana poka and experiments describing its establishment are in the publication available at the HEAR bibliography site (A.M. La Rosa, 1984, 171 pages).

Proceedings of workshop on biological control of native ecosystems in Hawaii
Smith, Clifford W., Julie Denslow, and Stephen Hight (eds.) . 2002. Proceedings of workshop on biological control of native ecosystems in Hawaii. Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany) Technical Report 129. 122 pages.

Forest pest biological control program in Hawaii
Smith, Clifford W. 2002. Forest pest biological control program in Hawaii. pp. 91-98 in Smith, Clifford W., Julie Denslow, and Stephen Hight (eds). 2002. Proceedings of workshop on biological control of native ecosystems in Hawaii. Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany) Technical Report 129. 122 pages. from http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/duffy/techr/129.pdf accessed 16 March 2008.

Biological control of invasive plants in native Hawaiian ecosystems (synthesis and conclusions)
Smith, Clifford W., Julie Denslow, and Stephen Hight. 2002. Biological control of invasive plants in native Hawaiian ecosystems (synthesis and conclusions). pp. 117-122 in 2002. Smith, Clifford W., Julie Denslow, and Stephen Hight. pp. 117-122 in Smith, Clifford W., Julie Denslow, and Stephen Hight (eds). 2002. Proceedings of workshop on biological control of native ecosystems in Hawaii. Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany) Technical Report 129. 122 pages. from http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/duffy/techr/129.pdf accessed 16 March 2008.

The Status of Banana Poka in Hawaii 
31JAN2002 is "as of" date the info is current (per the document itself)

Passiflora mollissima on Maui (Hawaii, USA): species information 
This report on the species Passiflora mollissima in Hawaii--with particular emphasis on its status on the island of Maui--includes information about the taxonomy, description, biology and ecology, distribution, control methods, and management recommendations, as well as references.

Teacher resources

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The content of this page is based on information last generated on 16 October 2017 by PT. The template for this page was created on 15 March 2004 by EMS, and was last updated on 20 February 2006 by PT.