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Dolichandra unguis-cati - Catclawvine

View record in Invasive Plant database.
Download Assessment: PDF.

SUMMARY

Rating	Alert	Impact	Invasiveness	Distribution	Doc.
Moderate	N	B	A	A	2.15
Comments:
Rating 1 = High 2 = Moderate 3 = Limited 4 = Evaluated, not listed		Alert Y = Yes N = No	Scores A = Severe B = Moderate C = Limited D = None U = Unknown	Documentation 4 = Reviewed scientific publications 3 = Other published material 2 = Observational 1 = Anecdotal 0 = No information

Scores

1.1	1.2	1.3	1.4	2.1	2.2	2.3	2.4	2.5	2.6	2.7	3.1	3.2
B	A	D	D	A	A	B	A	B	A	C	A	A

IMPACT

1.1 Impact on abiotic ecosystem processes - B

Identify ecosystem processes impacted: Can cover ground with thick vegetation becoming dominant ground cover reducing light availability for new growth in forests.

Documentation: Other Pub. Mat'l

1.2 Impact on plant community composition, structure, and interactions - A

Identify type of impact or alteration: Becomes dominant ground cover in forest environments. Will kill mature trees by weight and reducing light. Known as an ecosystem "transformer".

Sources of information: Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC). Undated. Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) A. Gentry. Florida Exotic Pest Plant Coucil Website. Accessed 20 June 2011: http://www.fleppc.org/ID_book/Macfadyena%20unguis-cati.pdf.

McClymont, Ken. 1996. Cat's Claw Creeper (Macfadyena unguis-cati). BRAIN (Brisbane Rainforest Action & Information Network) Newsletter, April 1996.

PIER (Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk) 1999. Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) Gentry, Bignoniaceae. Accessed 20 June 2011: http://www.hear.org/Pier/species/macfadyena_unguis-cati.htm.

Documentation: Other Pub. Mat'l

1.3 Impact on higher trophic levels - D

Identify type of impact or alteration: No known impact to higher trophic levels.

Sources of information:

Documentation: No Information

1.4 Impact on genetic integrity - D

Identify impacts: No known hybridization with native flora.

Sources of information:

Documentation: No Information

IMPACT: B A D D = B

INVASIVENESS

2.1 Role of anthropogenic and natural disturbance in establishment - A

Describe role of disturbance: Can invade undisturbed forest readily.

Documentation: Other Pub. Mat'l

2.2 Local rate of spread with no management - A

Describe rate of spread: May stay in seedling stage for a while, but once tuber is formed it spreads quickly. Population can double in less than 10 years without management.

Sources of information: Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC). Undated. Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) A. Gentry. Florida Exotic Pest Plant Coucil Website. Accessed 20 June 2011: http://www.fleppc.org/ID_book/Macfadyena%20unguis-cati.pdf.

Gallo, T. 2008. TexasInvasives.org Invasive Plant Database: Macfadyena unguis-cati. Accessed 20 June 2011: http://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=MAUN3.

Observational: T. Gallo

Documentation: Other Pub. Mat'l

2.3 Recent trend in total area infested within state - B

Describe trend: Could not double statewide in less than 10 years. Are is increasing due to the spread of local populations.

Sources of information: Observational: T. Gallo

Documentation: Observational

2.4 Innate reproductive potential - A

Describe key reproductive characteristics: Refer to Worksheet A.

Sources of information: PIER (Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk) 1999. Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) Gentry, Bignoniaceae. Accessed 20 June 2011: http://www.hear.org/Pier/species/macfadyena_unguis-cati.htm.

National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) & IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG). 2008. Global Invasive Species Database: Macfadyena unguis-cati. Accessed 20 June 2011: http://www.invasivespecies.net/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1227&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN.

Documentation: Other Pub. Mat'l

2.5 Potential for human-caused dispersal - B

Identify dispersal mechanisms: Cat claw Vine is available and commonly sold at nurseries. It is also promoted through the TX AgriLife Extension as an “Earthwise” plant.

Sources of information: Mueller, C. 2009. CatClaw Vine (MacFadyena unguis-cati). Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Accessed 20 June 2011: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2009/apr09/Catclaw.html

Observational: T. Gallo

Documentation: Other Pub. Mat'l

2.6 Potential for natural long-distance dispersal - A

Identify dispersal mechanisms: Seeds are wind and water dispersed. Also, vines grow quickly along the ground and reroot at nodes.

Sources of information: National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) & IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG). 2008. Global Invasive Species Database: Macfadyena unguis-cati. Accessed 20 June 2011: http://www.invasivespecies.net/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1227&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN.

Documentation: Other Pub. Mat'l

2.7 Other regions invaded - C

Identify other regions: All ecoregions have been invaded

Sources of information: Observational: T. Gallo

Documentation: Observational

INVASIVENESS: A A B A B A C = A

DISTRIBUTION

3.1 Ecological amplitude - A

Describe ecological amplitude, identifying date of source information and approximate date of introduction to the state, if known: Refer to Worksheet B

Sources of information: Invaders of Texas Citizen Science Program (Accessed 20 June 2011: http://texasinvasives.org/observations/search.php?satellite=&sn=MAUN3&cn=).

USDA PLANTS Database (Accessed 20 June 2011: http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Texas&statefips=48&symbol=MAUN3).

Documentation: Other Pub. Mat'l

3.2 Distribution/Peak frequency - A

Identify type of impact or alteration: Refer to Worksheet B

Documentation: Other Pub. Mat'l

IMPACT: A A = A

TEXAS ECOREGIONS

Source: Level III and IV Ecoregions of Texas. Griffith, G.E., Bryce, S.A., Omernik, J.M., Comstock, J.A., Rogers, A.C., Harrison, B., Hatch, S.L., and Bezanson, D., 2004, Ecoregions of Texas, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR.

Score: A. means >50% of type occurrences are invaded; B means >20% to 50%; C. means >5% to 20%; D. means present but ≤5%; U. means unknown.

Code	Level III	Level IV	Score
ER01	Arizona/New Mexico Mountains	Chihuahuan Desert Slopes
ER01	Arizona/New Mexico Mountains	Montane Woodlands
ER02	Chihuahuan Deserts	Chihuahuan Basins and Playas
		Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands
		Low Mountains and Bajadas
		Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands
		Stockton Plateau
ER03	High Plains	Rolling Sand Plains
		Canadian/Cimarron High Plains
		Llano Estacado
		Shinnery Sands
		Arid Llano Estacado
ER04	Southwestern Tablelands	Canadian/Cimarron Breaks
		Flat Tablelands and Valleys
		Caprock Canyons, Badlands, and Breaks
		Semiarid Canadian Breaks
ER05	Central Great Plains	Red Prairie
		Broken Red Plains
		Limestone Plains
ER06	Cross Timbers	Eastern Crosstimbers
		Western Crosstimbers
		Grand Prairie
		Limestone Cut Plain
		Carbonate Cross Timbers
ER07	Edwards Plateau	Edwards Plateau Woodland
		Llano Uplift
		Balcones Canyonlands	A
		Semiarid Edwards Plateau
ER08	Southern Texas Plains	Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains
		Semiarid Edwards Bajadas
		Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
		Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces
ER09	Texas Blackland Prairies	Northern Blackland Prairies
		Southern Blackland/Fayette Prairie
		Floodplains and Low Terraces
ER10	East Central Texas Plains	Northern Post Oak Savanna
		Southern Post Oak Savanna	A
		San Antonio Prairie
		Northern Prairie Outliers
		Bastrop Lost Pines
		Floodplains and Low Terraces
ER11	Western Gulf Coastal Plain	Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies	A
		Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies	C
		Floodplains and Low Terraces
		Coastal Sand Plain
		Lower Rio Grande Valley
		Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain
		Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
		Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes
		Laguna Madre Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes
ER12	South Central Plains	Tertiary Uplands
		Floodplains and Low Terraces
		Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces
		Southern Tertiary Uplands
		Flatwoods
		Red River Bottomland

EVALUATORS

Evaluation Date: 2011-06-20

Evaluator 1
Travis Gallo, Ecologist
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
512-232-0116
tgallo@wildflower.org
4801 La Crosse Ave., Austin, TX 78739

Evaluator 2

REVIEW

Reviewers:
Review Date: 0000-00-00
Comments:

REFERENCES

Originally assessed for the City of Austin Invasive Management Plan

TexasInvasives.org - Home

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Dolichandra unguis-cati - Catclawvine

SUMMARY