Title: A pilot weed management programme for bat-wing passion flower in New Zealand
Abstract: Passiflora apetala (bat-wing passion flower) was introduced as an ornamental variety in the mid-1990s and has been dispersed in New Zealand through the activities of sub-tropical plant collectors and avian vectors. Although P. apetala is currently restricted to the Northland and Auckland regions of the North Island, some closely related Passiflora species have become serious weeds in New Zealand. A pilot weed management programme was implemented to undertake intensive surveillance and organism management of all P. apetala plants to significantly reduce the rate of naturalisation at two sites: a heavily infested rural site and an urban/residential location. The objectives of the management programme were to assess the feasibility, effectiveness and costs of local elimination attempts and to inform partners of future management options for this species. [Pearson, HG, Christian, S, Baldwin, A, Yard, D & Coates, P (2011). A pilot weed management programme for bat-wing passion flower in New Zealand. New Zealand Plant Protection, Vol. 64, p. 289.]