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Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala ) An Alien Plant Report Prepared by: Forest Starr, Kim Martz and Lloyd Loope United States Geological Survey Biological Resources Division In cooperation with: American Water Works Association Research Foundation Maui County Board of Water Supply March, 1999
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Cat's claw(Caesalpinia decapetala)

An Alien Plant Report

Prepared by:Forest Starr, Kim Martz and Lloyd Loope

United States Geological Survey Biological Resources Division

In cooperation with:American Water Works Association Research Foundation

Maui County Board of Water Supply

March, 1999

Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala) 2

United States Geological SurveyBiological Resources Division

Cat’s claw(Caesalpinia decapetala)

What is cat’s claw?Cat’s claw is a thorny vigorously growing woodyvine with yellow flowers and brown seed pods whichforms a dense canopy, and smothers vegetation,fences, forests, and pastures.

Cat’s claw is found on all the main islands exceptLana'i. On Kaua’i, a dead cow was found tangledand upside down in a thorny thicket. On Maui, cat’sclaw is currently restricted to Kakipi (Halehaku)gulch on the windward north shore.

What should you do if you see this plant in areas other than Kakipi gulch?1. Call the Hawai'i Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) project at 572-4418.2. Dig out the root of the vine, if possible. Otherwise, cut the vine near the root of the

plant, and treat with an herbicide in accordance with label.3. For more information or additional copies of this flyer, call 572-4418 or websurf to

www.hear.org.

You can help keep Maui no ka oi.

Maui CountyBoard of Water Supply

American Water Works AssociationResearch Foundation

Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala) 3

Cat's claw(Caesalpinia decapetala)

Overview: Cat's claw or Mysore thorn is a woody vine with sharp thorns and yellowflowers that forms impenetrable thickets (Wagner et al. 1990:647). This native oftropical Asia can be found on all the main islands except Lana'i and Kaho'olawe.(Rezents 1998). This species was introduced as a fence plant for ranches before 1910(Wagner et al 1990), but the recurved thorns proved lethal, killing a cow on Kaua'i (R.Hobdy pers. comm.). Cat's claw is widespread on Kaua'i and O'ahu, and beyond control.On Maui, cat's claw is restricted to one gulch, Kakipi (Halehaku). This population ofcat's claw is thought to have come in on equipment from another island duringconstruction of the new bridge. With sharp thorns all the way to the ground, controllingcat's claw in this steep gulch would be difficult. Cat's claw may not be a feasible targetfor eradication, but through delineation of the area and education, it may be possible tokeep it from invading throughout the watershed.

Public Involvement: Using volunteers for physical control may not be very feasible, butthe proximity to the highway does allow educational opportunities. This site allows easyaccess to feel the sharp prickles and see the last bits of native forest and adjacent pastureland being taken over by cat's claw. Parking at either the bridge or satellite populationand seeing the plant first hand is impressive and well worth the stop. Groups that couldbecome involved with cat's claw include the cattleman's association, road crews, waterprofessionals, na opio o ka aina, and the Sierra club. There are of course many moregroups that can help contain cat's claw to Kakipi gulch and prevent its spread to otherparts of the island. People who learn about the plant and the know the plant can keeptheir eyes open for more elsewhere. If a small outlier population was found, volunteergroups could be mobilized to control the new population. Telling others about cat's claw,passing out flyers, copies of this report, and other information about cat's claw will helpprevent its spread and further establishment on Maui and in the watershed.

Common Name: Cat’s claw, wait-a-bit, mysore thorn, thorny poinciana, puakelekino

Latin Name: Caesalpinia decapetala (Roth) Alston (Wagner et al. 1990)

Synonyms: Reichardia decapetala Roth; Biancaea sepiaria (Roxb.) Tod.;Caesalpinia sepiaria Roxb. (Wagner et al. 1990; Haselwood et al. 1983).

Taxonomy: In the Fabaceae (Pea) family, Caesalpinia is a diverse genus of 70 or morespecies of trees, scandent to climbing shrubs (often thorny), and perennials found in scruband lowland rainforest, and on mountain slopes in tropical and subtropical areas (Brickellet al. 1997). Most Caesalpinia are evergreen, some loose leaves in the tropical dryseason. The leaves of all Caesalpinia are bipinnate, some very large with numerousleaflets , the flowers are in spikes from the upper leaf axils and may be quite showy,mostly in shades of red, yellow or cream, with separate petals and often conspicuous

Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala) 4

stamens. The seeds are in typical leguminous pods (Turner et al. 1997). The widespreadspecies C. bonduc, C. crista, and C. major have been greatly confused since Linnaeusapplied C. bonduc to two different species. A survey of the nomenclatorial history isgiven by Hattink (1974); his conclusions have been followed here. Thus for Hawai'i thespecies generally known as C. crista is referred to C. bonduc, and C. jabayo becomes C.major. Named in honor of Cesalpino (1519-1603), Italian botanist, philosopher, andphysician to Pope Clement VIII (Wagner et al. 1990) Other Caesalpinia species knownto be occurring in the state of Hawai'i include C. bonduc, (indigenous), C. kavaiensis,(endemic and endangered), C. major (introduced).

Description: Climbers or shrubs with sprawling branches, forming large impenetrablethickets, with recurved prickles on young branches and leaf rachises. Leaves with 3-15pairs of pinnae, leaflets 5-12 pairs per pinna, oblong-elliptic, 1-2.2 cm long, 0.4-1.1 cmwide, apex rounded, stipules deciduous, obliquely ovate, 8-20 mm long, entire. Flowersperfect, 25-30 mm in diameter, in axillary and / or terminal racemes, when axillary oftenserial; petals yellow, upper one veined or blotched with red, 12-15 mm long. Podsdehiscent, slightly swollen, 6.5-11 cm long, 2-3 cm wide. Seeds 4-9 black, ellipsoid,laterally flattened, 8-12 mm long, 6-8 mm wide (Wagner et al. 1990).

Noxious weed acts: Currently not on State of Hawai'i Noxious Weed list, but listed bythree sources in the weed list database created for this project including GreeningAustralia project, University of Hawai'i Botany Department, and Department of Land andNatural Resources. Declared noxious for state land leases (Haselwood et al. 1993). InAustralia, it is listed as an environmental weed of subtropical rainforest and remnants inNew South Wales (Nagle 1995). Declared a noxious weed in South Africa (PIERwebsite).

Native range: Native to tropical Asia, India, and China (Haselwood et al. 1993; Turneret al. 1997).

Range of invasion:Global - Successfully invaded Hawai’i, Australia, subtropical New Zealand islands, Fiji,French Polynesia, and New Caledonia (Wagner et al. 1990; PIER web site).

State -- First recorded in Hawai'i in 1888 (Stone et al. 1992), it can be found naturalizedalong roadsides, near abandoned house sites, and other disturbed areas, 0 – 250 m, onNi’ihau, Kaua’i, O'ahu, Lana'i, Moloka’i, East Maui, and Hawai’i (Wagner et al. 1990).Infestations can be found along the Honouliuli trail of the Wai’anae Mountains and onthe windward side of O'ahu, the upper pastures and adjacent forest of much ofnortheastern Kaua’i, and Kakipi (Halehaku) gulch, Maui (Wagner et al. 1990).

Maui -- Cat's claw can be found Paia side of twin falls at Kakipi (Halehaku) gulch. Theyellow flowered vine can be seen growing on the walls and flat surfaces of the valley. Iteven covers mango trees in the distance (Rezents 1998). The greatest density is foundnear the bridge on Hana highway. The density drops off on either side, but cat's claw can

Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala) 5

be found all the way to the ocean and almost a mile mauka of the Hana highway. Asatellite patch was found in a nearby tributary, just East of Kakipi gulch.

Climate where invading: Found in gulches, along stream beds, and in moist regions. Aweed in pastures, range lands, and waste places (Haselwood et al. 1993).

Value to humans: Can be used as a fence plant for ranches, as it forms impenetrablehedges. Introduced as an ornamental (Stone et al. 1992).

Problems: Cat's claw is extremely thorny and aggressive. It climbs on vegetation, has asmothering habit and makes walking impossible. State Forester Robert Hobdy (pers.comm.) saw a dead cow in a thicket on Kaua’i. Apparently the animal had gotten caughtand struggled to free itself. The cow ended up suspended on the thicket four feet aboveground with its four legs sticking straight up (R. Hobdy pers. comm.). Cat's clawpresents a formidable opposition for ranches and has the capability to take over largeareas of land. Besides taking over pasture, cat's claw can engulf native forest, waterdelivery systems, and other utility right of ways.

Biology and ecology: The medium sized seeds may be dispersed by rodents andgranivorous birds, but man is almost certainly the principal dispersal agent in Hawai’i(UH Botany web page). Water may also wash seeds downstream. Large numbers ofyellow flowers tend to appear during winter and spring on Maui. Insect found on cat'sclaw on Maui include the Sonoran carpenter bee (Xylocopa sonorina), bean butterfly(Lampides boeticus), honey bee (Apis mellifera) and ants (Technomyrmex albipes). Thefirst three were found on the flowers and could potentially be pollinating the flowers.The ants were found in the seed pods. Fungal canker, dieback, spider mite, whitefly, andmealy bug problems can occur on cat's claw (Brickell 1997).

Physical control: Cat's claw is extremely prickly, and attempts at physical control mustbe done carefully. Heavy machinery would not be an option in Kakipi gulch.

Chemical control: A visit to the site on July 25, 1998, showed that plants at the sidetributary population had been controlled. It appeared to have been sprayed withherbicide. It is not known who did the control or what was used. Plants encroaching onthe road are sprayed by the road crew.

Biological control: Potential for biological control has not been evaluated (UH Botanyweb page).

Management recommendations: This plant is only found in one gulch on the entireisland of Maui, but it is a rough gulch and an even rougher plant. Controlling mauka andlateral spread along with notifying the principal land owner / lessee and nearby residentsand ranchers may be a goal to work towards. This plant may be a good candidate forNRCS’s EQUIP program which shares costs with landowners in efforts to eradicateharmful weeds. It meets many of the criteria outlined by the program. NRCS will soonbe conducting community meetings to discuss priority weeds. In the future, local

Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala) 6

distribution should be refined / updated, especially mauka of the road. Aerial surveyswhile the plant is in flower (January/February) may be the best way to refine mapping.Cat's claw appears to be a prolific seed producer, and seed production / fertility / viabilitydata may be useful. Control trials should be done. Possible methods include helicopterfoliar, ground foliar and frill. Garlon would probably be the herbicide of choice, perhapsusing the Miconia mix.

Key contacts:Hawai’i State Department of Land and Natural ResourcesDivision of Forestry and WildlifeRobert Hobdy54 S. High St. Rm. 101Wailuku, HI 96793(808)871-4084

United States Geological Survey -- Biological Resources DivisionForest Starr, Kim Martz and Lloyd LoopePO Box 369Makawao, HI 96768(808)[email protected], [email protected]

REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY:Brickell, C., J.D. Zuk. 1997. The American Horticultural Society A-Z encyclopedia ofgarden plants. DK publishing. New York.

Haselwood, E.L., G.G. Motter, and R.T. Hirano. 1983. Handbook of Hawaiian weeds.University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, Hawai'i.

Hattink, T.A. 1974. A revision of Malesian Caesalpinia, including Mezonuron(Leguminosae-Caesalpiniaceae). Reinwardtia 9:1-69.

Hobdy, Robert. Department of Land and Natural Resources. Personal communicationwith author. January, 1998

Nagle, John. Greening Australia web page, weeds of rainforest,http://www.nor.com.au/environment/greenwork/werain.htm. 1995.

Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk, invasive plant species web page.http://www.hear.org/pier/cadec.htm. January 19, 1999.

Rezents, Ernie. Alien species: Invasive alien species wreaking havoc in Hawai'i. MauiNews. March 16, 1998.

Smith, Clifford W. 1985. Impact of alien plants on Hawai'i's native biota. In: CharlesP. Stone and J. Michael Scott, eds.. Hawai'i's terrestrial ecosystems: Preservation and

Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala) 7

management. Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawai'i,Manoa. p. 187.

Stone C.P., C.W. Smith, and J.T. Tunison. 1992. Alien plant invasions in nativeecosystems of Hawai'i: Management and research. University of Hawai'i CooperativeNational park Resources Studies Unit, Honolulu.

Tanimoto, V.M. and W.P. Char. 1992. Alien plant control on state lands includingnatural areas. In: Stone C.P., C.W. Smith, and J.T. Tunison. 1992. Alien plant invasionsin native ecosystems of Hawai'i: Management and research. University of Hawai'iCooperative National park Resources Studies Unit, Honolulu.

Turner, R. J. Jr., and E. Wasson. 1997. Botanica. Gordon Cheers, Mynah, New York.

University of Hawai'i, Botany Department Web Page. Alien plants of Hawai'i.Caesalpinia decapetala. http://www.botany.hawai'i.edu/faculty/cw_smith/cae_dec.htm.

Wagner, W.H., D.R. Herbst, S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the flowering plants ofHawai’i. University of Hawai’i press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala) 8

USGS-BRD personnel GPS infestation of cat's claw in Kakipi gulch, Maui

USGS-BRD personnel in front of a typical stand of cat's claw - Kakipi gulch, Maui

Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala) 9

Known distribution of cat's claw in the State of Hawai'i

Range of invasionNative Range

Known global distribution of cat's claw

Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala) 10

Cat's claw (Caesalpinia decapetala) 11

Cat's claw locations

Area enlarged above

Kakipi gulch areaenlarged below

Cat's claw locations

Known distribution of cat's claw in Kakipi (Halehaku) gulch, island of Maui


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