The TRI-ISLE RC&D PROJECT: Miconia Calvescens Eradication

Miconia Calvescens Control

Miconia calvescens was introduced on Maui as an ornamental plant from Latin America. It has big beautiful leaves getting as large as three feet long with a purplish color on the underside. Miconia trees can reach heights of up to 50 feet. The plants are very invasive, and produce millions of seeds annually. 
Because of it’s aggressive growth habit and dense canopy, it replaces nearly all other plant species. When native plant species diminish, the animal species depending on the diversity of plants also diminish. The result is a monoculture of Miconia with an unprotected forest floor very susceptible to erosion. 

Tri-Isle RC&D has helped acquire and manage grants which support operations of the Maui Invasive Species Committee. Field crews and helicopter spraying have been working nearly seven years to bring under control the 2500-acre core population on rugged lava terrain in the area above Hana on the east end of Maui as well as other smaller populations in East Maui (see map). Miconia has also become a problem in other parts of the state, particularly the Big Island, and to a lesser extent on Oahu and Kauai. 

Besides spraying, a biocontrol strategy is also being tried to suppress the Miconia population. A fungus is being propagated that attacks the leaves (see photo) and stunts the plant growth.
The Maui Invasive Species Committee was formed to develop a control strategy for Miconia calvescens and other invasive plants. The committee is made up of a group of experts from public and private agencies which are educating the public, removing existing plants, and evaluating the extent of the problem. The lead agency for this project is the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife. Other participating agencies include Tri-Isle RC&D Council, Inc., the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Maui Community College, Maui County Office of Economic Development, University of Hawaii, Maui Land and Pineapple Company, Inc., Haleakala National Park, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the USDI Geological Survey. 

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