Parkinsonia aculeata L.

Title: Parkinsonia aculeata L.

Scientific Name:

Parkinsonia aculeata L.

Common Name:

parkinsonia, Jersualem thorn, Mexican palo-verde

Source & more images (via ALA)

Habitat: Semi-arid to subhumid tropics and subtropics. Thrives on a wide range of soil types, varying from sands to self-mulching clays. Mostly found in better watered areas receiving run-off and near creeks, rivers, bores or dams. (Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001). Great temperature range from very hot to several degrees below freezing with frosts. Native to semi-desert vegetation, especially desert valleys and desert grassland zones (World Agroforestry Centre n.d.)

Distribution:

Original source via CABI

Invasiveness Assessment

ESTABLISHMENT

1. Germination requirements? Germinate any time of year if moisture is available and can germinate over a wide temperature range. Requires wet soil conditions for several days to stimulate germination (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992).

2. Establishment requirements? Found in moist areas receiving run-off. Growth is impeded in shaded areas (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). “It requires full or nearly full sunlight to survive and reproduce” (Francis, 2003).

3. How much disturbance is required? Found especially near creeks, rivers, bores or dams. Needs some kind of disturbance to become established. Will establish in areas of only minor disturbance ” (Francis, 2003).

GROWTH / COMPETITIVE

4. Life form? Leguminous shrub (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992).

5. Allelopathic properties? None described (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992).

6. Tolerates herb pressure? Livestock, especially sheep, browses foliage and pods. Under a biocontrol program with several insects showing potential as control agents (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). Can be attacked by snow scale and termites (World Agroforestry Centre, n.d.). Research has shown up to 95% of seed banks can be destroyed by two Parkinsonia seed beetles. Rhinacloa callicrates is a leaf bug having no significant impact in Queensland to date. Weeds still persist(van Rangelrooy & Flanagan, 1999).

7. Normal growth rate? Forms dense thickets and shades out pasture species (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). Noted for its rapid growth (minimum estimate for a fast growing woody shrub) (World Agroforestry Centre, n.d.).. Will exceed most other species of same life form.

8. Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc? Extremely drought resistant. Can survive in saline soils. Frost tolerant up to -5°C (World Agroforestry Centre, n.d.). Sensitive to waterlogging. Seedlings will not withstand fire but mature plants have high survival rate (DNRE, 2001).

REPRODUCTION

9. Reproductive system? Grows from seed, root or shoot cuttings although vegetative reproduction is not part of the plants natural cycle. Pollinated by bees but unknown if self-pollinator (World Agroforestry Centre, n.d.).

10. Number of propagules produced? One pod usually contains between 2 to 6 seeds but can contain up to 9. Produces “large numbers of seeds and pods” (DNRE, 2004). “Profusely produces seeds” (World Agroforestry Centre, n.d.). Assume that produces greater than 2000 seeds per flowering event.

11. Propagule longevity? Two types of seeds and about 25% of the light brown seeds germinate readily. The rest of the light brown seeds and all of the dark brown seeds have hard seed coats that must be scarified before they will germinate (Francis, 2003). Viable for up to three years (World Agroforestry Centre, n.d.).

12. Reproductive period? The plants can live up to 30 years. Species is capable of forming dense monocultures (Francis, 2003).

13. Time to reproductive maturity? Flower in the second or third growth season (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992).

DISPERSAL

14. Number of mechanisms? Moved by floodwaters and streams. Birds eat seeds. Movement through mud, humans and machinery (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992).

15. How far do they disperse? Due to the dispersal mechanisms (see above), it is very likely that some of the propagules will be dispersed greater than 1 km.

Impact Assessment

RECREATION

1. Restrict human access? A branching spiny shrub or small tree of irregular habit, from 2 to 8 m high. “It may form dense thickets especially along creeks and rivers…limiting access to watering points” (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). “Parkinsonia can form dense impenetrable thickets making areas of land inaccessible for people” (van Rangelrooy & Flanagan, 1999).

2. Reduce tourism? “The value of the outback tourism industry is increasing and Parkinsonia infestations reduce this natural attraction.” ARMCANZ (2001). “Thickets can be up to several kilometres across” (van Rangelrooy & Flanagan, 1999). Serious impacts to aesthetics.

3. Injurious to people? “Each leaf is subtended by a needle-sharp spine 5-15mm long” (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). Thorns present at all times of the year.

4. Damage to cultural sites? “Some colonies along rivers are many kilometres in length” (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). Moderate visual effect.

ABIOTIC

5. Impact flow? Terrestrial species (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). “Watercourse infestations can cause stream course alteration in subsequent floods by diverting the water flow contributing to erosion and inhibiting flood mitigation” (ARMCANZ, 2001). Weed may have a minor impact on surface or subsurface flow.

6. Impact water quality? Terrestrial species (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992).

7. Increase soil erosion? “Watercourse infestations can cause stream course alteration in subsequent floods by diverting the water flow contributing to erosion and inhibiting flood mitigation” (ARMCANZ, 2001). High probability of large scale soil movement with major off-site implications. However, in Victoria, chance of flooding events is reduced.

8. Reduce biomass? “It may form dense thickets” (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). Where the plant occurs on open grassland, riverine or wetland areas biomass would increase significantly.

9. Change fire regime? No data available.

COMMUNITY HABITAT

10(a) Impact on composition of high value EVC? EVC= Parilla Mallee (V); CMA=Mallee; Bioreg=Lowan Mallee; CLIMATE potential=VH. “Formation of thickets seriously affects ground vegetation through competition for light, water and nutrients.” (ARMCANZ, 2001). Major displacement of some dominant species within the groundcover layer.

10(b) Impact on medium value EVC? EVC= Riverine Chenopod woodland (D); CMA=Mallee; Bioreg=Murray Mallee; CLIMATE potential=VH. “Formation of thickets seriously affects ground vegetation through competition for light, water and nutrients.” (ARMCANZ, 2001). Major displacement of some dominant species within the groundcover layer.

10(c) Impact on low value EVC? EVC= Loamy Sands Mallee (LC); CMA=Mallee; Bioreg=Murray Mallee; CLIMATE potential=VH. “Formation of thickets seriously affects ground vegetation through competition for light, water and nutrients.” (ARMCANZ, 2001). Major displacement of some dominant species within the groundcover layer.

11. Impact on structure? “Formation of thickets seriously affects ground vegetation through competition for light, water and nutrients. It may in time displace trees such as the coolibah (Eucalyptus microtheca) and river red gum (E. camaldulensis)” (ARMCANZ, 2001). Major impact on <60% of the floral strata.

12. Effect on threatened flora? No information found.

FAUNA

13. Effect on threatened fauna? No information found.

14. Effect on non-threatened fauna? “Infestations eliminate or reduce open water areas. These wetlands are waterbird habitats of national significance, as they provide refuges and breeding grounds and they may buffer against drought and habitat losses in other areas of Australia” (ARMCANZ, 2001). Reduction in habitat for fauna spp. leading to reduced populations.

15. Benefits fauna? Birds and animals eat the seed, which enhances its germination capacity (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). This suggests that fauna do not gain much from eating the seed.

16. Injurious to fauna? “Each leaf is subtended by a needle-sharp spine 5-15mm long” (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). Thorns present at all times of the year.

PEST ANIMAL

17. Food source to pests? Not documented in ARMCANZ (2001) as a food source to pest animals

18. Provides harbor? In Northern Australia, feral pigs use the thickets as harbour (ARMCANZ, 2001).

AGRICULTURE

19. Impact yield? “Impedes access to water by stock; Reduces pasture production and carrying capacity lowering cattle and wool production” (ARMCANZ, 2001). Impact >5% reduction.

20. Impact quality? Not documented in ARMCANZ (2001) to impact quality.

21. Affect land values? “All control programs require several years of follow-up treatments and many years of vigilance, which increases the cost several fold. The long-term costs may cause control of large dense infestations to be uneconomic. The current poor financial performance of agricultural industries and low land values of infested areas extenuate this”(ARMCANZ, 2001). As infestations may be uneconomical to control land value would drop further.

22. Change land use? See comments in 19 and 21 above. In time infested land may become useless for pastoral activities.

23. Increase harvest costs? “Increased difficulty and expense of mustering” (ARMCANZ, 2001). Increase in both time and labour.

24. Disease host/vector? None documented in ARMCANZ (2001).

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Assessment ratings originally made by the Victorian Department of Primary Industries.

The entry of this assessment was made possible through the generous support of The Weed's Network.

Attachments:

Parkinsonia via ala.JPG
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referenced by (3)

wra1029: Common Name - P (via parkinsonia)wra1009: Common Name - M (via Mexican palo-verde)wra1007: Common Name - J (via Jersualem thorn)

Article: wra5525 (permalink)
Categories: :wra:p, :wra:inv1, :wra:invmh, :wra:inv2, :wra:inv3, :wra:inv4, :wra:inv5, :wra:inv6, :wra:inv7, :wra:inv8, :wra:inv9, :wra:inv10, :wra:inv11, :wra:inv12, :wra:inv13, :wra:inv14, :wra:inv15, :wra:imp1, :wra:impmh, :wra:imp2, :wra:imp3, :wra:imp4, :wra:imp5, :wra:imp6, :wra:imp7, :wra:imp8, :wra:imp9, :wra:impl, :wra:imp10a, :wra:imp10b, :wra:imp10c, :wra:imp11, :wra:imp12, :wra:imp13, :wra:imp14, :wra:imp15, :wra:imp16, :wra:imp17, :wra:imp18, :wra:imp19, :wra:imp20, :wra:imp21, :wra:imp22, :wra:imp23, :wra:imp24
Date: 25 November 2009; 9:21:01 AM AEDT

Author Name: Niharika Anand
Author ID: anandn