Hovenia dulcis
|
Taxon |
Family |
|
Hovenia dulcis Thunb. |
Rhamnaceae |
 |
 |
| Hovenia dulcis in its natural habitat in Korea Credit: www.herbmart.or.kr |
H. dulcis as an ornamental tree in USA |
Common names: Japanese raisin tree, Japanese cherry tree, Chinese raisin tree
Synonyms: No information available.
Life form: Tree
Biology/Ecology:
Dispersal: Seeds spread mainly by birds, but also by many other animals. Introduced by humans for use as a timber tree and for its edible fruit.
Reproduction: Flowers are cymes consisting of many green-white hermaphroditic flowers, 7 mm across. Fruits are red/brown drupes, about 7 mm across, containing 2 to 4 seeds. Plants begin to produce fruit after three or four years.
Herbivores: No information available.
Resistant stages: No information available.
Habitat:
Native habitat: No information available.
Habitat occupied in invaded range: Disturbed forest, forest edges, riparian zones.
Habitat requirements:
| Altitude | Below 1100 metres above sea level. |
| Light | Sun to light shade. |
| Temperature | Intolerant of cold conditions. |
| Annual rainfall | Between 850 and 2000 mm. Intolerant of very wet conditions. |
| Soil | Tolerates a wide range of soil pH. |
Distribution:
Native to Japan, China, North and South Korea.
Introduced range: Invasive in South American rainforests and Tanzania. Introduced but not invasive in USA, Australia, New Zealand and Central Africa.
Impacts:
Ecosystem: Rapidly invades disturbed forest, forming dense stands, inhibiting the growth of native plant species. Dispersal is hard to control due to the abundance of many different dispersal agents.
Health, social and economic: No information available.
Management:
Mechanical: Can be cut or dug out, but this is rarely effective as the plant sprouts vigorously when cut and resprouts from seeds in the soil. Effective control requires a combination of mechanical and chemical control methods.
Chemical: Garlon 4 at 80% concentration in diesel oil, or Tordon at 7% concentration in water. Application to cut stump is effective.
Biological: No information available.
References:
Matthews, S., GISP, 2005. South America Invaded. GISP. Available from http://www.gisp.org/publications/invaded/gispSAmerica.pdf (Accessed August 2006).
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER), 2004. Available from http://www.hear.org/Pier/species/hovenia_dulcis.htm (Accessed August 2006).
University of Alabama. Available from http://www.uah.edu/admin/Fac/grounds/RAISINTR.HTM (Accessed August 2006).
The Horus Institute for Environmental Conservation and Development, 2005. Hovenia dulcis. The Global Invasive Species Initiative. Available from http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/moredocs/hovdul01.html (Accessed August 2006).
Last updated October 2006
