Appearance
"Miconia crenata" is a densely branching perennial shrub normally growing 0.5–3 m tall, but sometimes growing 5 m tall, depending on habitat.The branchlets are covered in large, stiff, brown or reddish-colored hairs. The simple leaves are oppositely arranged, oval-shaped in outline with a broad base, pointed tips, and almost entire to crenate or finely toothed margins. The leaves are also sparsely covered in hairs above, while more densely hairy beneath; and also have five distinct veins that run in an almost parallel fashion from the leaf bases to their tips.
The flowers are arranged in small clusters at the tips of the branches. Each flower has five white, or occasionally pale pinkish, petals and five distinctive stamens that have a claw-like appearance. The base of the flower is swollen into a cup-shaped structure which is moderately to sparsely covered with a mixture of bristly and sticky hairs.
The small, rounded fruit are berries and are either dark blue, purplish or blackish in color. Each of these berries contains over 100 light brown colored seeds.
Naming
"Koster's curse" is a commonly used name in places where the plant grows as a noxious weed, such as Hawaii. It was introduced to Fiji in the late 1800s, likely by a coffee planter named William Parr who shared his seeds with others across the region; however the introduction was apparently misattributed by locals to a neighboring sugar planter named Köster. Other common names reported for this species are soapbush and clidemia.This species is native to much of tropical America, but is an invasive species in Southern Asia, East Africa, and some oceanic islands with warmer climates. It is a potential weed of wetter pastures, open grasslands, plantations, roadsides, wetter open woodlands, riparian zones, forest margins and rainforests. "M. crenata" can form dense thickets that smother plantations, pastures and native vegetation. Disturbance is a key element in the establishment and invasion of the plant. Wildfires, landslides, windstorms and other forms of soil disturbance accelerate the dominance of this weed.In its native environment plants are confined to open areas and only become dominant about twelve months after disturbance, such as in slash-and-burn agricultural areas. All new range extensions in Hawaii begin along the open edges of trails or other disturbed areas. In Hawaii, "M. crenata" is replacing the endemic species that formerly dominated the forests and threatens their extinction. Elsewhere, it is regarded as one of the most problematic invasive species in the Comoros Archipelago, on La Réunion, in the Seychelles and on Mauritius. In Sri Lanka it is quite invasive in wet zone and upcountry forests, especially invading gaps in the forest, preventing other native species from emerging.
Distribution
Native from tropical areas in the Americas. This species grows in dry to wet tropical climates up to 1200 m of elevation.Habitat
Native from tropical areas in the Americas. This species grows in dry to wet tropical climates up to 1200 m of elevation.References:
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