Harungana
Harungana madagascariensis
family
Clusiaceae
origin
Exotic
declaration
Category 3 Restricted Matter (Biosecurity Act 2014)
Must not be distributed or disposed. This means it must not be released into the environment unless the distribution or disposal is authorised in a regulation or under a permit.
Common names
Harungana, Dragon's blood tree, Orange-blood, Orange-milk tree, Praying hands bush, Praying-hands.
A large multi-stemmed shrub or tree with younger stems covered with star-shaped hairs. Its oppositely arranged leaves have dark green upper surfaces and undersides covered with rusty-brown hairs. Its new growth is yellowish-orange in colour and the developing pairs of leaves are tightly pressed together. Its leaves and young branches exude a bright orange sap when damaged. Its small whitish-coloured flowers are arranged in dense clusters at the tips of the branches.
Impact
Impact
Harungana (Harungana madagascariensis) is regarded as an environmental weed Queensland and as a "sleeper weed" in other parts of northern Australia. It its native habitat, in tropical Africa, it grows as a 'pioneer' tree on the margins of wet forests and in forest gaps after disturbance events. In Australia, this species has invaded cyclone-damaged rainforest, as well as forest fringes, roadsides and riparian areas in the wet tropics of northern Queensland. Harungana (Harungana madagascariensis) grows at all altitudes and can form dense thickets to the exclusion of other species. Its spreading roots produce suckers, and so do damaged plants, enabling it to out-compete other species. By spreading in this fashion, harungana (Harungana madagascariensis) is able to quickly dominate the canopy, and infestations over a few hectares have been found that consist almost exclusively of this species.In 1992, harungana (Harungana madagascariensis ) was listed as one eight species of weeds that were potentially the most destructive to native plant communities in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. So far it is mainly found along forest verges between Innisfail and Babinda. However, researchers have found it thriving well within undisturbed rainforests in Wooroonooran National Park, in small gaps created by tree falls and landslips. A large proportion of the infestations were contolled in the 1990s, but in the absence of follow-up control it has begun to spread again.Although harungana (Harungana madagascariensis) is currently restricted to relatively disturbed areas, there is concern that this plant may become a permanent component of tropical rainforest communities. Some experts believe that it has the ability to completely decimate huge sections of the Wet Tropics World Heritage forests, given the right circumstances (e.g. major canopy damage caused by cyclones).
Location
Location
Characteristics
Characteristics
Similar Species
Similar Species
Harungana (Harungana madagascariensis) is regarded as an environmental weed Queensland and as a "sleeper weed" in other parts of northern Australia. It its native habitat, in tropical Africa, it grows as a 'pioneer' tree on the margins of wet forests and in forest gaps after disturbance events. In Australia, this species has invaded cyclone-damaged rainforest, as well as forest fringes, roadsides and riparian areas in the wet tropics of northern Queensland. Harungana (Harungana madagascariensis) grows at all altitudes and can form dense thickets to the exclusion of other species. Its spreading roots produce suckers, and so do damaged plants, enabling it to out-compete other species. By spreading in this fashion, harungana (Harungana madagascariensis) is able to quickly dominate the canopy, and infestations over a few hectares have been found that consist almost exclusively of this species.In 1992, harungana (Harungana madagascariensis ) was listed as one eight species of weeds that were potentially the most destructive to native plant communities in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. So far it is mainly found along forest verges between Innisfail and Babinda. However, researchers have found it thriving well within undisturbed rainforests in Wooroonooran National Park, in small gaps created by tree falls and landslips. A large proportion of the infestations were contolled in the 1990s, but in the absence of follow-up control it has begun to spread again.Although harungana (Harungana madagascariensis) is currently restricted to relatively disturbed areas, there is concern that this plant may become a permanent component of tropical rainforest communities. Some experts believe that it has the ability to completely decimate huge sections of the Wet Tropics World Heritage forests, given the right circumstances (e.g. major canopy damage caused by cyclones).
