Sonar Ad 4/ c P/U Seapro FLORIDA EXOTIC PEST PLANT COUNCIL Officers Tony Pemas, Chairman P.O. Box 279 Homestead, Florida 33030 (305) 242-7846 tony_pemas@nps.gov Ken Langeland Chair Elect 7922 NW 71st Street Gainesville, FL 32606 (352) 392-9614 kal@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu Jackie Smith, Secretary 3111-B13 Fortune Way Wellington, FL 33414 (561) 791-4720 Smithjl@mail.state.fl.us Dan Thayer, Treasurer PO Box 24680 West Palm Beach, FL 33416 (561) 682-6129 dthayer@sfwmd.gov Amy Ferriter, Editor P.O. Box 24680 West Palm Bch, FL 33416- 4680 (561) 682-6097 aferrite@sfwmd.gov Directors Mike Bodle P.O. Box 24680 West Palm Bch, FL 33416 (561) 682-6132 mbodle@sfwmd.gov Keith Bradley 22601 SW 152nd Ave Miami, Florida 33170 (305) 247-6547 bradley2@gate.net Hillary Cherry P.O. Box 118526 Gainesville, FL 32609 (352) 336-2623 hcherry@ufl.edu Dan Clark 800 Dunlop Rd. Sanibel, FI 33957 (941) 472-3700 dclark@peganet.com Ed Freeman P.O. Box 8 Sarasota, FI 34230 (941) 378-6142 efreema@co.sarasota.fl.us Doria Gordon P.O. Box 118526 Gainesville, FL 32611 (352) 392-5949 dgordon@botany.ufl.edu Francois Laroche P.O. Box 24680 West Palm Bch., FL 33461 (561) 682-6193 flaroche@sfwmd.gov Brian Nelson 2379 Broad Street Brooksville, FI 34609 (352) 796-7211 brian.relson@SW]3\IMDstate.fl.us Committee Chairs By-Laws Francois Laroche P.O. Box 24680 West Palm Bch., FL 33461 (561) 682-6193 flaroche@sfwmd.gov Editorial Amy Ferriter P.O. Box 24680 West Palm Bch., FL 33416 (561) 682-6097 aferrite@sfwmd.gov Legislative vacant Membership Brian Nelson 2379 S. Broad St. Brooksville, FL 34009 (352) 796-7211 Merchandise Jackie Smith 3111-B13 Fortune Way Wellington, FL 33414 (561) 791-4720 791-4722 Smithjl@mail.state.fl.us Plant List Dan Austin /Kathy Burks Florida Atlantic Univeristy Department of Biological Sciences Boca Raton, FL 33431 (561) 297-3327 daustin@fau.edu kathy.burks@dep.state.fl.us Publications Ken Langeland 7922 NW 71st Street Gainesville, FL 32606 (352) 392-9614 kal@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu Program Ken Langeland 7922 NW 71st Street Gainesville, FL 32606 (352) 392-9614 kal@gnv.if as .uf 1. edu Symposium Tony Pemas P.O. Box 279 Homestead, Florida 33030 (305) 242-7846 tony_pernas@nps . gov Research John Volin 2912 College Ave. Davie, FL 33314 (954) 236-1115 jvolin@fau.edu Education Jim Duquesnel P.O. Box 487 Key Largo, FL 33037 (305) 451-1202 jpcrsp@reefnet.com Vendors Phil Waller 6651 Englelake Dr. Lakeland, FL 33813 (941) 619-6255 phil_waller@py.cyanamid.com Task Forces Brazilian Pepper Dean Barber 5882 South Semoran Blvd. Orlando, FL 32822 (407) 275-4004 barberl@mail.state.fl.us Lygodium Amy Ferriter and Tom Fucigna 3301 Gun Club Rd. West Palm Bch., FL 33416 (561) 682-6097 aferrite@sfwmd.gov Carrotwood Ed Freeman P.O. Box 8 Sarasota, FL 34230 (941) 378-6142 Fax 378-6136 efreema@co.sarasota.fl.us Vines Mike Bodle P.O. Box 24680 West Palm Bch, FL 33416 (561) 682-6132 mbodle@sfwmd.gov Exotic Grasses Joe Maguire 22200 Sw 137th Avenue Goulds, FL 33170 (305) 257-0933 flameabl@shadow.net Skunk Vine Sheryl Bowman and Brian Nelson 10940 McMullen Rd. Riverview, FL 33569 (813) 672-7876 resmgmt@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us Chinese Tallow Greg Jubinsky 3915 Commonwealth Blvd. MS710 Tallahassee, FL 32399 (850) 487-2600 greg_jubinsky@dep.state.fl. us Melaleuca Francois Laroche P.O. Box 24680 West Palm Bch., FL 33461 (561) 682-6193 flaroche@sfwmd.gov The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council has not tested any of the products advertised or re- ferred to in this publication, nor has it verified any of the statements made in any of the advertisements or articles. The Council does not warrant, expressly or implied, the fitness of any product, advertised or the suitability of any advice or statements contained herein. Wildland Weeds SUMMER 2000, Volume 3, Number 3 Table of Contents 4 Editor's Note 4 Exotic Guavas in Florida: So delicious but- by Ken Langeland and David Hall 5 Psidium catleianum, Deliciously dangerous in Hawai by Charles Wilder 1 2 Herbicide Screening Results for Two Common Exotic Grass Species in Florida by Dan Thayer 1 7 Chinese privet, Ligustrum sinense: Prospects for Classical Biological Control in the Southeastern United States by J.P. Cuda and M.C. Zeller 20 The Great Air Potato Round Up by Steven Vann 22 Internodes Visit these websites: Florida EPPC's: www.fleppc.org Tennessee EPPC's: www.webriver.com/tn-eppc California EPPC's : www.caleppc.org Wildland Weeds (ISSN 1524-9786) is a quarterly publication of the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (EPPC) Wildland Weeds is published to provide a focus for the issues and con- cerns regarding exotic pest plant biology, distribution and control. To be- come a member of the Florida EPPC and receive the Council newsletter and Wildland Weeds Magazine, contact the Treasurer. About the cover: The yellow variety of strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum) forms dense thickets along the Little Manatee River in Florida and is considered one of Hawaii's worst weeds. Direct editorial inquiries to Amy Ferriter, Editor Wildland Weeds Magazine: 3301 Gun Club Rd. West Palm Beach, FL 33406 aferrite@sfwmd.gov Editorial Board Mike Bodle Jim Cuda Roger Hammer Ken Langeland Steve Manning Dan Thayer For advertising information contact: Outdoor Tech, Inc. 6791 Proctor Rd. Tallahassee, FL 32308 Phone 850 668-2353 Fax 850 668-2664 Debra Tarver WILDLAND WEEDS 3 editor’s note Some weeds are harder to hate than others. The guavas for instance - they're almost too tasty to condemn. Guava jelly, guava jam, guava shakes.... Read about guava's gas- tronomical attributes and astronomical spread in two articles in this issue. Ken Langeland and David Hall detail two spe- cies (Psidium guajava and R cattleianum) in Florida (below) and Charles Wikler describes strawberry guava (P. cattleianum ) in Hawaii where researchers are hoping to in- troduce South American biocontrol agents soon. Find out about the prospects for biocontrol of Chinese privet ( Ligustrum sinense) in the Southeast on page 17, and saddle up for the wildly-successful "Great Air Potato RoundUp" on page 20. Too bad air potatoes aren't as tasty as guavas. But then again, "Dioscorea shake" doesn't exactly have an appealing ring. -Amy Ferriter Common guava ( Psidium guajava) Exotic Guavas in Florida: so delicious but — By Ken Langeland and David Hall The guavas belong to the genus Psidium (Myrtaceae, Myrtle Family), which comes from the Greek, mean- ing edible fruit. Psidium is a tropical American genus with approximately 100 species of evergreen trees and shrubs, some with edible berries. Common guava, Psidium guajava L., strawberry or Cattley guava, Psidium cattleianum Sabine [P. littorale Raddi] (Schroeder 1946, Wunderlin 1998), and Costa Rican guava, Psidium friedrichsthalianum (O. Berg) Niedenzu, occur in Florida as landscape plants (Dehgan 1998). Psidium longipes (O. Berg.) McVaugh, mangrove berry, is native to Florida. The guava fruit, es- pecially that of Psidium guajava culti- vars that have been developed with superior taste qualities, is highly re- garded for its edible qualities, eaten fresh and used in jellies, jams, drinks, pies, ice cream, etc. Cultivars of P. guajava are grown commercially for their fruit. Common guava, and straw- berry guava are known to have es- caped cultivation and included on the "Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council's (FLEPPC) 1999 List of Invasive Spe- cies". Both are listed under Category I, which means they are considered by FLEPPC as invasive exotics that are altering native plant communities. 4 SUMMER 2000 Strawberry guava has characteristic gray-brown to reddish bark that peels off in irregular patterns. Common Guava Common guava ( Psidium guajava L.) is a shrub or small tree, usually under 15 feet tall (rarely to 30 feet), with scaly bark. Branches are 4-angled and hairy. The opposite leaves have a short stalk/ petiole and elliptic to oblong leathery blades. The lower blade surface is cov- ered with soft hairs, contains numer- ous glandular dots and has very no- ticeable riblike lateral veins. Inflores- cences are usually 1 -flowered in leaf axils. The five sepals are united. The five petals are white, showy, rounded and just under 1 inch long. Stamens are numerous. The ovary is imbedded be- low the rest of the flower parts (infe- rior). The usually dull yellow fruits are rounded or pear-shaped, manyseeded berries about 1 to 2 1/2 inches long with pink or yellowish flesh. Repro- duction is by seeds. Blooming occurs all year. Common guava has been cultivated and distributed by man and animals for so long that it is difficult to be cer- tain of its place of origin but it is be- lieved to be from an area extending from southern Mexico into or through Central America (Morton 1987). It is now cultivated and escaped through- out the New and Old World tropics. In addition to its value for edible fruit, the wood is valued in some parts of the world, tannin is extracted for use in tanning and for dyes and, in addi Psidium cattleianum, Deliciously dangerous in I— IniAfoii navvail ByCharlesWikler Eating the delicious red or yellow fruits of strawberry guava ( Psidium cattleianum) we would never imagine how big the problem caused by these plants is in many tropical regions. This species is invading extensive areas, dis- persing into important natural habitats, ecologically disrupting them. In addi- tion, this plant is host to several species of fruit flies. Introduced to Hawaii about 1825, strawberry guava quickly escaped from cultivation. It has become the most im- portant forest weed in Hawaii (Smith, 1985) due to suitable soil and climatic factors, the absence of natural enemies, and effective dispersal by several differ- ent agents. Initially, birds disseminated seeds. Feral pigs, relatively recent invad- ers of the Hawaiian ecosystem, have since become the most important dis- persal agent of strawberry guava seeds (Diong, 1982). Strawberry guava possesses several of the characteristics of an opportunist invasive species, but it seems that its abil- ity to grow clonally is the main reason for its successful invasion and domina- tion of intact native forests in the Hawai- ian archipelago (Huenneke, 1991). This plant is an excellent example of a plant once confined to a small region but now a widespread problem throughout the tropics and subtropics. From the beginning, studies about this plant generated considerable de- bate over which scientific name was published correctly for Psidium cattleianum. Sabine (1821) named the plant in honor of William Cattley, the first person to successfully cultivate the species in Britain. Some authors con- sidered Raddi as the first to describe the plant, also in 1821, but in the lit- erature search, Raddi's description re- fers to the plant as Psidium littorale in 1823. Thus, the name Psidium littorale is usually considered a junior syn- onym, as the original descriptions of both represent the same species. According to Fosberg (1941) in Ellshoff et al. (1995), the common name used for strawberry guava is "araca" in Brazil, "waiwai" in Hawaii, and "Cattley guava" among some Ameri- can horticulturists. Strawberry guava is also mentioned in the literature as "goiave de L'Afrique", in the Domini- can Republic, "araca-saiyu" and "guayabo amarillo" in Argentina, "araza" in Uruguay, "Calcutta-guava" in India, "china-guava" for the British, WILDLAND WEEDS 5 Rodeo Ad SUMMER "goyavier of St. Martin" in Guadeloupe, "goyavier fraise" for the French, "goyavier prune" in Martinique and "purple-guava" in Jamaica. Hoehne (1946) mentioned that the diKerentiahon between the species be- comes complicated for what is called "araca." Although the exact origin of the type specimen is not known, it seems that the plant was cultivated in Asia and America. However, the type locality of P. Iittorale is cited by Raddi (1823) as the coasts of Brazil. Two botanical forms of strawberry guava tree are recognized based on fruit color. They are the red fruit P. cattleianum f. cattleianum (P. Iittorale var. Iongipes) and the yellow fruit P. cattleianum f Iucidum (P. Iittorale var. Iucidum ). Geographical distribution in the area of origin In Brazil, the genus Psidium is repre- sented by 9 species, including P. cattleianum. The plant occurs from the South of Espirito Santo State in Brazil to Uruguay, (from 20° and 32° S). Straw- berry guava is a characteristic bush of the "restinga," typical vegetation of the Atlantic Rain Forest, where it is widely dispersed. Although present, it is not too frequent in the first plateau. The species occurs in humid soils, in small woods (capoeiras), and the border of creeks and semi-devastated forests. It is also quite fre- quent in the coastal swampy fields along the littoral zone of the southern states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. It can be found in and around the southern plateau, occurring in the ciliary forests, as well as in disturbed fields (Reitz, Klein & Reis, 1983). Morpholog of the varieties of Psidium cattleianum According to Wikler (1999), the main differences between the yellow and red forms of strawberry guava are: • P. cattleianum var. Iucidum (yellow form) It is commonly a shrub in the coast, as part of a vegetation formation called "restinga", where a wide variety of plants grow on the sandy substrate with a high water table. The climate in the coast is hot and humid with temperatures between 18 and 22°C and annual rainfall between 1430-2450 mm. Its height varies between 2.5 and 4 meters, rarely exceeding 5 m high. The trunk is tortuous and with very char- acteristic grayish-brown coloration, being rial ohcwch A International HEIRS CONT * Brazilian F«ppar * Chinese follow Tt« * Ajjslrnlidn Pine * Downy Rase Myrtle * Soil Cednr ^mansli] 800 - 228-1833 01MH, FL J2IE3- fORE’lFBIlir.-DH ■ FAX SGWIH-HJB 0 liters Don't* Improved JLB Oil Plus rraks your busakipglieif hnrhkidns writ betar Bortr penetration. Better uptake. A flfflwaf vegeJubfe uil limed diluent □t d mciwobki mi Order tcdoy foam *le Adjuvant Experts* unmistakable in the places where it is found. Its crown is round and quite dense. The fruits are yellow, as well as the endocarp that ranges from light yel- low to white. In Parana State it is dis- tributed along the coast, and on the first and second plateaus. Psidium cattleianum var. Iucidum • P. cattleianum var. cattleianum (red form) The red form is a tree, with heights from 2.5 meters up to 20 meters. Its trunk has the same color of the yellow form al- though it differs in shape being straight and cylindrical with a larger diameter. Its crown is slightly elongated and quite dense. Its fruit and its endocarp are red colored. In the Araucaria Forest it is found inside the woods but exclusively in the first plateau, ranging from 6501100 m. The climate is hot and humid, with temperature between 15 - 19 °C and 1250 - 2500 mm annual rainfall. Psidium cattleianum var. cattleianum Biocontrol in Hawaii Unable to control strawberry guava by mechanical and chemical means in Hawaii, the U.S. National Park Service initiated efforts to find biological control agents against this weed. A cooperative program between the Cooperative Na- tional Park Resources Studies Unit, Uni- versity of Hawaii at Manoa, and the Parana Forest Research Foundation and the Federal University of Parana was es- tablished in March 1991. WILDLAND WEEDS 7 Sepro full page 4/c "Nautique" 8 SUMMER 2000 tion to other medicinal uses, the roots, bark, leaves and immature fruits are used to halt gastroenteritis, diar- rhea and dysentery throughout the tropics (Morton 1987). In Mexico, the tree may be parasitized by mistletoe that causes rosette-like formations called wood flowers, which are sold as ornamental curiosities (Morton 1987). According to P. W. Reasoner, com- mon guava was introduced to Florida from Cuba in 1847 (Popenoe 1920). However, it was already reported as naturalized in 1765 (DeBrahm 1773). The 1887-1888 Catalog and Price List for Royal Palm Nurseries states: "The guava has become a necessity to South Florida; is to South Florida what the peach is to Georgia". It has been grown successfully as far north as the Pinellas peninsula [sic] on the west coast and Cape Canaveral on the east coast (Popenoe 1920) and was grown com- mercially at Palma Sola, Punta Gorda, Opalacha, Indiantown, and other lo- calities (Barrett 1956). Three cultivars are now grown commercially. Home- stead and two private selections. About 225 acres are in production in Dade (90%), Lee, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties (Jonathan Crane, per- sonal communication). This acreage has been expanding since 1992 and has greater potential due to expanding Asian and Latin markets. The crop is worth in excess of $3,000,000 annually. In Hawaii, 7,000 acres are grown. While available in the horticultural trade, common guava is relatively in- significant in the current ornamental grower and landscape market and a phase-out of production and sale by Florida ornamental growers is encour- aged by an agreement between the FLEPPC and the Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association (Aylsworth 1999). Common guava grows and fruits under unfavorable conditions, spreads rapidly by seeds and has become a weed in many areas (Popenoe 1920). In fact, it is present as a weed in 27 countries and considered a common to serious pest in nine of these (Holm _ aL 1979). It forms thickets and has a serious impact on native forests and open woodlands (Cronk and Fuller 1995). Small, in 1933, reported it in hammocks, roadsides, pinelands, and old fields of peninsular Florida and the Keys, and it was further reported spreading into hammocks and pinelands in 1971 (Long and Lakela). It now ranges from Pinellas and Brevard Counties south to the Keys (Nelson 1994) and has been reported from Florida parks and preserves in Broward, Collier, Dade, Highlands, Lee, Martin, Osceola, Palm Beach, and Sarasota Counties (FLEPPC 2000). In Jonathon Dickinson and Seabranch State Parks alone 1,163 stems were treated in 1998-99 (Florida Park Ser- vice). Trees are controlled by basal bark applications of Garlon 4, cut stump applications of Garlon 4 or 3A, and hand pulling of seedlings. Strawberry Guava Strawberry guava [P. cattleianum Sabine] is a shrub or small tree to 25 feet tall with smooth, gray-brown to reddish bark that is inclined to peel off in irregular patterns. The slick, leathery, evergreen, opposite leaves are elliptic to somewhat broader towards the tip and up to 3 inches long with a short stalk/ peti- ole. The lateral nerves in the blades are as- cending and curve forward without forming a distinct mar- ginal nerve. The inflorescence is stalked and 1- flowered from the leaf axils. Flowers have five united se- pals. The five pet- als are white, showy, rounded and about 1 inch wide. Stamens are numerous and anthers are attached in the center and split longitudinally. The ovary is im- bedded below the rest of the flower parts (infe- rior). The red- purple or yellow fruits are almost A survey identified potential bio- logical control agents from which the impacts of seven insect species and their effects on Psidium cattleianum are discussed by Wickler et al. (1999): a lead gall produced by Tectococcus ovatus (Homoptera, Eriococcidae), bud galls formed in response to Dasineura gigantea (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), a shoot gall pro- duced by Eurytoma sp. (Hy- menoptera, Eurytomidae), a seed gall induced by Sycophilia sp. (Hy- menoptera, Eurytomidae), another leaf gall formed in response to an un- known species of Psyllidae, the saw- fly, Haplostegus epimelas (Hy- menoptera, Pergidae), and the chry- somelid Lamprosoma azureum (Co- leoptera, Chrysomelidae). The author gratefully acknowl- edges Dr. Clifford W. Smith for all his assistance since the beginning of these studies. Dr. Simon Elliot and Milton Mendon^a Jr. for their help- ful comments in the draft manuscript and Dr. J.H. Pedrosa-Macedo and the Biological Control of Weeds group from the Laboratory of Forest Protec- tion of UFPR for their further assis- tance. Funding from the U.S. Na- Solution WATER SOLUBLE* AMINE n FROM iverdale User & Environmentally Friendly Water Soluble 2,4-D Amine In Convenient Water Soluble Bags. For The Industrial Vegetation Manager Concerned About Applicator Safety A Exposure • No Measuring • No Pouring • No Freezing • No Exposure To Concentrates • Low Odor • Totally Soluble • Won’t Settle Out • No Triple Rinsing • No Container Disposal • No WPS Label Language • Packaged In Recyclable Cartons • Contains Full Aquatic Label for more information, call (800)345-3330 WILDLAND WEEDS 9 round, many-seeded berries about 1 and 1/2 inches long with white flesh. Reproduction is by seeds. Blooming usually occurs in early summer. Native to southeastern Brazil, it is planted in the subtropics and tropics. Strawberry guava can survive temperatures as low as 22 F (Morton 1987) and is grown as far north as Alachua County. P. cattleianum occurs as two distinct botanical varieties. The common redfruited variety is called Cattley guava or strawberry guava, P. cattleianum Sabine var. cattleianum [P. littorale Raddi var. longipes (O. Berg) Fosberg] (Fosberg 1941). This variety is a small dense tree. It makes a nice ornamental with the copious array of dark shiny green leaves and bright red fruits. The fruit is sweet and obviously eaten and spread by wildlife and cattle. As an escape, strawberry guava has been found on floodplains and in oak hammocks and cattle pens from Osceola County south into Lee County (Wunderlin et al. 1995). The common name, strawberry guava, comes from the flavor of the fruit, which tastes like a strawberry. The fruits are eaten fresh or used for making jelly, drinks and other culinary uses, however, it is not grown commercially for its fruit in Florida. It is an attractive dooryard tree, presenting “ an almost exotic or Japanese picture as an accent" and used as a hedge (Stressau 1986). The less frequent yellow-fruited variety is called yellow Cattley guava or yellow strawberry guava, P. cattleianum Sabine var. lucidum Hort. [P. littorale Raddi var. lucidum (Degener) Fosberg] (Fosberg 1941). This variety is a loosely branched small tree said to be useful for reforestation (Staff, Flortus Third 1976). The fruit is sul- phur-yellow, translucent and some- what acid when ripe. Yellow Straw- berry guava forms dense thickets along the margin of the Little Manatee River in Hillsborough County. This variety has also been listed (sic! as P. lucidum Hort., P. chinense Lodd. ex Lodd. and P. sinense (not a valid name, probably a misspelling of chinense ) (Popenoe 1920). Strawberry guava forms thickets and shades out native vegetation in forests and open woodlands (Cronk and Fuller 1995). It has had cata- strophic effects on native habitats of Mauritius, and it is considered among the worst pest plants in Hawaii (see Wikler, this issue), where it has in- vaded a variety of natural areas (Cronk and Fuller 1995). It has become domi- nant in native forests of Hawaii, in- cluding in two national parks, where its clonal spread is enhanced by activi- ties of feral pigs (Huenneke and Vitousek 1990). Strawberry guava first appeared in the horticulture trade in Florida in the 1887-1888 Catalog and Price List for Royal Palm Nurseries. However, it was not included in southeastern flora by Small (1933). It was noted as "often grow- ing wild" in 1956 by Barrett (1956). It has been reported in Florida parks and pre- serves in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Martin, and Palm Beach Counties (FLEPPC 1996). In Jonathan Dickinson State Park and Seabranch Preserve alone, 2,087 Strawberry guava stems were controlled in 1998-99 (Florida Park Service). Where possible, stems are cut and treated with Garlon 3A. In Jonathan Dickinson State Park, it was necessary for DEP to bull- doze and restore a three acre site (Rich- ard Roberts, personal communication). At Seabranch, up to seven guava plants per square meter occur and 5-15% of vegetation has consisted of Strawberry quava in various sites in 35 acres John Griner, personal communication). Twenty acres have been restored by se- lective removal of this pest plant and planting of native vegetation. In summary, the guavas have pro- vided us with delicious desserts, orna- mental plantings, and commercial in- come. On the other hand, common and Strawberry guavas have escaped cul- tivation and are weeds in natural areas requiring expenditure of public funds to protect native plant communites. This is an example of the dilemma we face with many introduced plants that are both commercially valuable and natural area weeds. Acknowledgements Thanks to Hillary Cherry for library assistance and Bob Pemberton for sup- plying information from the Royal Palm Nursery catalogue. Ken Langeland is a Professor at the University of Florida 's Center for Aquatic tional Park Services and the Univer- sity of Hawaii (CA80xx2-9004) sup- ported this study. Charles Wikler is a Forester at the Parana Forest Research Foundation and holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Biological Control of Insects and Weeds Rua Theresa P. Moura, 70 - Pilarzinho 82100- 440 - Curitiba - Parana - Brazil. E-mail: cwickler@bbs2.sul.com.br References Diong, C.H. 1982. Population biology and management of the feral pig (Sus scrofa) in Kipahulu Valley, Maui. Un- published Ph.D. dissertation. Univer- sity of Hawaii, Honolulu. Ellshoff, Z.E. Gardner, D.E., Wikler, C., & Smith C.W. 1995. Annotated bibliography of the genus Psidium, with emphasis of P. cattleianum (strawberry guava) and P. guajava (common guava), forest weeds in Hawai'i. Technical Report No. 95. Cooperative National Park resources Studies Unit, Botany Dept., University of Hawaii, Honolulu. Hoehne, F.C.; 1946. Frutas Indigenas. Instituto de Botanica, Publigao da serie "D", Sao Paulo. 88 p. Huenneke, L.F. 1991. Population biology of an invading tree, Psidium cattleianum, in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Pp. 177-188, In: Center, T.D., R.F. Doren, R.L. Hofstetter, R.L. Meyers, and L.D. Whiteaker (eds.) Proceedings of the Symposium on Exotic Pest Plants; U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service; Novem- ber 2-4, 1988; Miami, Florida. Reitz, PR., Klein, R.M. & Reis, A. 1983. Flora Catarinense (Psidium). (Flora of Santa Catarina (Psidium).) Sellowia 35:684-715. Sabine, J. 1821. Psidium cattleianum. Trans. Roy. Hort. Soc. 4:315. PI. 11. Smith, C.W. 1985. Impace of alient plants on Hawaii's native biota. In: Stone, C.O., and J.M. Scott (eds.), Hawaii's Terrestrial Eco- systems: Preservation and Management. Cooperative National Park Resources Stud- ies Unit, University of Hawaii, Honolulu. Wikler, C. 1999. Distribuigao geografica mundial de Psidium cattleianum Sabine (Myrtacea) e um cecidogeno com possibilidades de utilizagao em controle biologico. Post-Graduation Forestry Course. Universidade Federal do Parana. Doc- toral thesis. 135 p. Wikler, C., Pedrosa-Macedo, J.H., Vitorino, M.D., Caxambu, M.G. & Smith, C.W. 1999. Strawberry Guava (Psidium cattleianum) - Prospects for Biological Control. Program and abstracts of the X International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, P128, pp. 138. N. Spencer and R. Nowierski (eds.) 04-14 July, Bozeman, Montana, USA. Montana State University. 10 SUMMER 2000 and Invasive Plants in Gainesville , PL. EMail: kal@gnv.ifas. ufl.edu David W. Hall is President of Hall Con- sultant , Inc. in Gainesville , FL. References Aylsworth, J.D. 1999. Invasive is Out. Orna- mental Outlook. 8(8):40 / 42. Barrett, M.F. 1956. Common Exotic Trees of South Florida. Univ. of Florida Press, Gainesville, pp. 298-299. Florida Park Service. Undated. 1998-99 Resource Management Annual Report - July 1, 1998-June 30, 1999. Cronk, Q.C.B., and J.L. Fuller. 1995. Plant Invad- ers. Chapman and Hall, London, pp. 111-114. DeBrahm, W.G. 1773. DeBrahm's Report of the General Survey in the Southern District of North America. Tricentennial edition (L. DeVorsey, Jr., ed.). No. 3, 1971. Univ. of So. Carolina Press, Columbia. 325 pp. As cited in: Austin, D.E 1978. Exotic plants and their ef- fects in southeastern Florida. Env. Conserv. 5:25-34. Dehgan, B. 1998. Landscape Plants for Subtropi- cal Climates. Univ. Press of Florida, Gaines- ville. p. 480. FLEPPC. 2000. Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council occurrence data base. Unpublished. Data available by requests via Web site: http:/ / www.fleppc.org/. Fosberg, ER. 1941. Varieties of the Strawberry Guava. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 54:179-180. Holm, L., J.V. Pancho, J.R Herberger, and D.L. Plucknett. 1979. A Geographical Atlas of World Weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp. 297-298. Huenneke, L.E, and P.M. Vitousek. 1990. Seed- ling and clonal recruitment of the invasive tree Psidium cattleianum: Implications for management of native Hawaiian forests. Biol. Cons. 53:199-211. Long, R.W., and O. Lakela. 1971. A Flora of Tropi- cal Florida. University of Miami Press. Coral Gables, FL. pp. 642-643 Morton J.E 1987. Fruits of Warm Climates. Published by the author, Miami, FL. pp. 356-367. Nelson, G. 1994. The Trees of Florida. Pineapple Press Inc., Sarasota, FL. pp. 104-105, 241-242. Popenoe, W. 1920. Manual of Tropical and SubtropicalFruits. MacmillanCo. pp. 272-283. (Facsimile reprint 1974, Hafner Press, New York.). Schroeder, C.A. 1946. Priority of the Species Psidium cattleianum Sabine. Jour. Arnold Arboretum. 27:314-315. Small, J.K. 1933. Manual of the Southeastern Flora. Univ. of No. Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. p. 937. The Staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus Third. Macmillan Publishing Co., New York. p. 923. Stressau, EB. 1986. Florida, MyEden. Florida Classics Library, Port Salerno, FL. p. 102. Wunderlin, R.P. 1998. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida. Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville, p. 454. Wunderlin, R.P., B.E Hansen, and E.L. Bridges. 1995 (updated May 1996). Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants. Web site: http:// www.usf.edu/ ~isb/projects/hb-atlas.html. Wildland WEEDS Charter Advertisers SePRO Griffin DowAgrosciences Riverdale Invasive Plant Control Breuier International Timberland Enterprises. Inc. American Cijanamid Helena New Name! Growing Commitment! ProSource One formerly Terra Professional Products has a new name with a growing commitment to our customers. ProSource One is the exclusive source for all of your aquatic vegetation management needs. We offer the right products, reliable advice and dependable services to help make your aquatic program successful. Talk to your ProSource One aquatics vegetation management specialist. Aquatic Specialists Western Florida Eastern Florida Polly Ellinor Paul Mason 1 - 888 - 813-0562 1 - 800 - 207-1408 WILDLAND WEEDS 11 Herbicide Screening Results for Two Common Exotic Grass Species Rontfa W* Tw r by Dan Thayer Two invasive exotic grass species are abundant and unwanted features of the 21,875 acre DuPuis Reserve, just east of Lake Okeechobee in South Florida. They are torpedograss (Pani- cum repens) and bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum). In the past de- cade, there has been an increasing number of products marketed as grass specific herbicides. The purpose of the screening was to evaluate these new products, along with a few standard grass herbicides, for efficacy against these grasses and selectivity for the native flora at three test sites within the DuPuis Reserve. The herbicide rates, and the adjuvants used in this study, were recommended by the manufac- turer or their local distributor. These preliminary tests will be used to short- list products for further study. METHODS: Torpedograss plots were established in a seasonal wetland dominated by torpedograss, and in anassociated drainage ditch heavily invaded with torpedograss. The torpedograss marsh and ditch were dry at the time of herbicide application. Surrounding the torpedograss invaded wetland is an established stand of bahiagrass. Bahiagrass plots were placed adjacent to the torpedograss test site. The torpedograss marsh plots were virtually a 100% cover of torpedograss. Scattered throughout was a light cover of pickerelweed (Pontederia sp.) and broom grass HERBICIDE TREATMENTS: Treatment Rate (oz.) Rate (oz.) Number Herbicide Acre Plot Surfactant Acre Plot 1 Envoy 34 2.55 SunWet 4 .3 2 Envoy 17 1.27 SunWet 4 .3 3 Arsenal 40 3.0 Dynamic 6.7 .5 4 Rodeo 128 9.6 Dynamic 6.7 .5 5 Roundup Pro 128 9.6 Cohere 6.7 .5 6 Poast 40 3.0 SunWet 4 .3 7 Poast 80 6.0 SunWet 4 .3 8 Fusilade 24 1.8 Dynamic 6.7 .5 9 Plateau 8 .6 Dynamic 6.7 .5 10 Plateau 12 .9 Dynamic 6.7 .5 11 Vantage 46.3 3.47 Dynamic 13.3 1.0 12 SUMMER 2000 Torpedograss Marsh Plots Six-Months Post-Treatment Treatment Number Herbicide Bahiagrass Effect Comments 1 Envoy No Effect 2 Envoy No Effect 3 Arsenal 100% Kill 100% on all other vegetation. 4 Rodeo 80% Kill Minor effect on pickerelweed. 5 Roundup Pro 20% Kill Minor effect on pickerelweed. 6 Poast No Effect 7 Poast No Effect 8 Fusilade No Effect *9 Plateau No Effect no Plateau No Effect 11 Vantage No Effect *In ditch plots. Plateau at both rates killed pickerelweed but had no effect on maidencare. PRODUCT USES • Exotic Control • Brush Control • Bareground •Turf Management • Seed Head Suppression • Basal Applications • Pre-emergent Control • Aquatic EUP • For Information Call Phil C. Waller (941) 619-6255 Fax (941 ) 701 -8287 6651 ENGLELAKE DRIVE, LAKELAND, FLORIDA 33813 American Cyanimid PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Arsenal Imazapic Applicators Concentrate (Plateau) Stalker Sahara Pendulum WILDLAND WEEDS 13 ( Andropogon virginicus). The ditch plots were a mix of torpedograss, maidencane ( Panicum hemitomon), and pickerelweed. In the ditch plots, torpedograss was not consistent throughout, so evaluations focused on treatment effects to native species. The bahiagrass plots contained broom grass and yellow-eyed grass (Xyris sp.). With the exception of the ditch site, the test plots were burned on June 15th, 1999. Herbicide applications were made on August 2nd, 1999. Fire was used to reduce the existing thatch and to break apical dormancy. Previous studies indicate an increase in efficacy for herbicides applied to perennial grasses following fire. Torpedograss marsh plots and bahiagrass plots were applied from an ATV using an electric powered sprayer with a boom arrangement of flat-fan nozzles (6505s). The ditch plots were sprayed with the same ATV and a Boom Buster nozzle which delivered 1.5 GPM. All herbicides were applied at a total spray volume of 40 gallons per acre. Each plot was 0.075 acres in size. Permanent photo locations were established to monitor each treatment Fadtsr for Sonar telsyoi whaTsun down there. You already know how Sonar* effectively manages aquatic plant problems. Now you can manage your Sonar application more accurately and economically with new FzsTEST immunoassay technology. FasTEST measures the level of Sonar to 1 ppb. So, whenever you need application management information or suspect a change in Sonar concentration — whether due to heavy rainfall, water movement or other environmental factors— FasTEST can tell you how to adjust your Sonar application. And unlike other scientific tests, FasTEST is just what its name implies. Simply obtain a FasTEST kit from SePRO, gather a water sample and send it to the SePRO lab. You’ll receive test results in 48 hours. SePRO Corporation, 1 1550 N. Meridian Street, Suite 600, Carmel, IN 46032-4565 1-800-419-7779 Fax:317-580-8290 Internet: www.sepro.com Trademark of SePRO Corporation plot through time. Visual ratings of herbicide effi- cacy were conducted at three and six months post- treatment. Where appli- cable, visual ratings were made for nontarget veg- etation treatment effects. The Six month evaluations are presented here. The weather conditions on August 2nd, at 1200, were clear to partly cloudy skies, 94°F, 66% RH, and winds from the west at 3 mph. Many thanks to Trace Wolfe, Bo O'Neal, Jackie Smith and Steve Smith for their help with this trial. Dan Thayer is the Direc- tor of the Vegetation Man- agement Division at the South Florida Water Man- agement District. He can he reached at (561) 682-6097, dthayer@siwmd.gov. m IlK W ■V * ■■■ Bahiagrass Plots. Pre-treatment, Plot #5 Bahiagrass Plots. 6-months Post-treatment' Plot #5. 14 SUMMER 2000 Bahiagrass Plots Six-Months Post-Treatment Treatment Number Herbicide Bahiagrass Effect Comments 1 Envoy No Effect 2 Envoy No Effect 3 Arsenal 100% Kill 100% Kill of pickerelweed. 4 Rodeo 95% Kill No effect on yellow-eyed grass. 5 Roundup Pro 99% Kill No effect on yellow-eyed grass. 6 Poast No Effect 7 Poast No Effect 8 Fusilade No Effect 9 Plateau 100% Kill No effect on broomgrass. 10 Plateau 100% Kill No effect on broomgrass. 11 Vantage Indeterminable limberland Enterprises, Inc. Renewing the Environment Vegetation management programs and control products for Aquatics, Forestry and Roadway/Utility Rights of Way. SOLUTIONS - SERVICE - SATISFACTION FLORIDA OFFICE 3705-10 S.W. 42nd Ave Gainesville, FL 32608 (352) 375-2601 (O) (352) 375-3123 (FAX) CORPORATE OFFICE P.O. Box 557 Monticello, AR 71655 (870) 367-8561 WILDLAND WEEDS 15 Dow AgroSciences Ad 16 SUMMER 2000 Figure 1 . Chinese privet growing in a conservation area in north Florida. By J. P. Cuda and M. C. Zeller Chinese or hedge privet, Ligustrum sinense (Oleaceae), is a semi-deciduous shrub or small tree of Asiatic origin that is commercially available from the nursery industry as an ornamental or border plant (PlantFinder 1999). After its introduction into the United States in 1852 (Dirr 1983), this woody shrub eventually escaped cultivation, and by 1932 had become naturalized across the southeastern United States (Small 1933). It is now considered an invasive weed in many areas of the Southeast (Dirr 1983, Nelson 1996). In its introduced range, Chinese privet is a common component of the understory vegetation of forests in north Florida (Fig. 1), Alabama, Geor- gia (Godfrey 1988), Kentucky, North and South Carolina (Radford et al. 1968), Mississippi (Goddard 1992), Oklahoma (Taylor et al. 1996), Tennes- see (Radford et al. 1968, Faulkner et al. 1989) and Texas (Correll and Johnston 1970). This woody shrub also is an in- vasive weed in Australia (Burrows and Kohen 1986) and Argentina (Montaldo 1993). While primarily a woody in- vader of abandoned or disturbed areas (Godfrey 1988), Chinese privet readily invades natural areas adjacent to dis- turbed sites, and is especially abundant along stream banks. The present dis- tribution of naturalized populations of Chinese privet in Florida is shown in Fig. 2 (Wunderlin et al. 1995). Chinese privet, Ligustrum sinense: Prospects for Classical Biological Control in the Southeastern United States Chinese privet can grow to a height of 10 m. The plant is characterized by its numerous leafy pubescent branchlets, and its small, simple, de- ciduous to semi-deciduous leaves are elliptic in shape (Fig. 3). The leaves are green (variegated in cultivation), op- posite, have short pubescent petioles, and are attached at right angles to the stems. In bloom, the branchlets bear numerous, many-flowered panicles. Flowers (Fig. 3) are white and mal- odorous; the corolla tube is shorter than the spreading lobes, and the sta- mens are exserted. The fruits (Fig. 4) are blue, fleshy drupes that are in- gested by birds (McRae 1980, Buchanan 1989, Montaldo 1993). New infestations probably develop from bird-dispersed seeds (Montaldo 1993). Figure 3. Branchlet of Chinese privet with leaves and flowers. Distribution of Ugustrum sinense and Ochyromera llgustri Ligustrum sinense Ochyromero tiqustri Sourcoi Wv n d r Bn of al. 1993 Figure 2. Current distribution of naturalized populations of Chinese privet and the ligustrum seed weevil Ochyromera ligustrl in Florida. Adapted from Wunderlin etal. (1995). WILDLAND WEEDS 17 Figure 4. Berry-like fruits of Chinese privet. The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Coun- cil lists Chinese privet as a Category I invasive species (FLEPPC 1996). The shrub disrupts native plant communi- ties in riparian and upland habitats by competing for the available light and space. The federal- and state-listed en- dangered Miccosukee gooseberry, Ribes echinellum, is on the verge of be- ing displaced in Florida by encroach- ing stands of Chinese privet (Langeland and Burks 1998). More- over, nutrient cycling in natural areas can be disrupted by the presence of Chinese privet. Faulkner et al. (1989) observed that dense thickets of Chi- nese privet in Tennessee produce large quantities of litter, and act like umbrel- las by preventing the infiltration of leaf litter from the native tree canopy. Ag- riculture and public health also can be impacted by the presence of Chinese privet. Dense stands of this invasive shrub can serve as alternate host plants for the citrus whitefly, Dialeurodes citri (Hicks and Oliver 1987), and are con- ducive to infestations of the hard tick Ixodes scapularis, a suspected vector of Lyme disease in the southern United States (Goddard 1992). Where it displaces native vegeta- tion, Chinese privet may not have an adverse impact on wildlife popula- tions because of its nutritional value. The plant serves as food source for the bobwhite quail, Colinus virginianus, and the white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, when more desirable for- age plants are scarce (McRae 1980, Stromeyer et al. 1998a,b). From a management perspective, mechanical control methods such as cutting and prescribed burning are in- effective against Chi- nese privet (Faulkner et al. 1989). The plant resprouts rapidly from the cut stumps, and its affinity for low-lying damp areas does not allow fire to carry well. The moist conditions in the bottom litter layer also reduce the effectiveness of the fire by not allow- ing temperatures to become hot enough to kill the root crowns. Although the herbicide glyphosate will severely damage or kill Chinese privet, chemical control is impractical and too expensive for large areas with dense growth (Faulkner et al. 1989). Since conventional methods are inap- propriate for selectively controlling large infestations of Chinese privet in natural areas, biological control with natural enemies from the plant's native range should be considered. Chinese privet would be a good can- didate for classical biological control because the environmental risks asso- ciated with the importation and release of host specific natural enemies would be low. There are no native congeners in the genus Ligustrum occurring in the United States (Pemberton 1996). There- fore, the level of host specificity re- quired for candidate natural enemies may be quite broad yet still not pose a risk to non-target native or economically impor- tant plant species. The nursery industry would probably object to the in- troduction of insects that feed on the foliage or girdle the branches or stems of Chinese privet and would be fearful of attacks on the widely used Ligustrum japonicum (Japanese privet) and the also popular L. lucidum (wax privet). This conflict of interest could be resolved by selecting only those insects that attack the plant's flowers or seeds. According to Harley (1986), suppression of reproduction is important for controlling woody weeds (a) that reproduce by seed; (b) where existing plantings provide some ben- efit, e.g., ornamental value; and (c) when herbicide applications provide only temporary control and retreatment is uneconomical or environmentally disruptive. Chinese privet meets all of these criteria. Biological control of Chinese privet already maybe occurring in some ar- eas, although not as a result of any purposeful introductions. The seed weevil Ochyromera ligustri was recently found attacking Chinese privet in Leon County, Florida (Fig. 2) (Cuda and Zeller 1998). This immigrant natural enemy of Ligustrum spp. maybe ca- pable of reducing the spread of Chi- nese privet into new areas and/or the densities of existing stands. However, field and laboratory studies will be re- quired to determine to what extent this insect can control the growth and spread of Chinese privet populations in natural areas. Ochyromera ligustri was first discov- ered in 1959 on Japanese privet, L. japonicum, in Wake County, North Caro- lina (Warner 1961, Wray 1961), and is believed to have immigrated from the Orient in nursery stock imported into the United States. Since then, the weevil has been found in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia, as well as North and South Dakota (O'Brien and Wibmer 1982, Johnson and Lyon 1988). Considering that Leon County is the only locality in Florida where Japanese privet (the principal host plant for O. Figure 5. Ligustrum seed weevil Ochyromera ligustri, an insect natural enemy of Chinese privet. 18 SUMMER 2000 merit, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110620, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0620 Mark Zeller is a Bi- ologist in the Bureau of Invasive Plant Manage- ment, Florida Depart- ment of Environmental Protection, 3917 Com- monwealth Boulevard, M.S. 710, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000 Figure 6. Mature larva of the ligustrum seed weevil 0. ligustri. ligustri ) is documented as naturalized (Wunderlin et al. 1995), it is not surpris- ing that the weevil has adapted to Chi- nese privet in this region of north Florida where the two species of Ligustrum have overlapping distributions. The weevil also has been collected from wax-leaf ligustrum, L. Iucidum, common privet, L. amurense, lilac, Syringa spp., and grape, Vitis spp., in North Carolina (Warner 1961, Wray 1961). However, it is not clear from the literature whether lilac or grape are legitimate host plants in that they are capable of supporting complete devel- opment of the weevil. The biology of O. ligustri on Japanese privet was reviewed by Johnson and Lyon (1988). The weevil is 3-5 mm long and is shiny brown with golden yellow hair like scales (Fig. 5). The adults feed on the foliage by making small perfora- tions in the interior of the leaf blade, and drop to the ground when disturbed. In North Carolina, adults are active from late June to early July. Females deposit their eggs in the seed or in the mature fleshy fruits. The larvae (Fig. 6) feed in- side the fruits and destroy the seeds as they complete their development to the adult stage. New adults emerge from the seeds (one weevil per seed) in mid-May, and there is only one generation per year. We thank M. C. Thomas for identify- ing the insect, J. F. Butler and K. C. Burks for the photographs of the insect and plant, respectively, and J.H. Frank and N.C. Coile for reviewing the manuscript. Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. N-01574. Jim Cuda is an Assistant Professor in the Entomology and Nematology Depart- References Buchanan, R. A. 1989. Pied currawongs ( Strepera graculina ): Their diet and role in weed dispersal in suburban Sydney, New South Wales (Australia). Pro- ceedings of the Linnaen Society of New South Wales 111: 241-256. Burrows, E J., and J. Kohen. 1986. Inhibition of germination in privet. Plant Protection Qtrly 1: 107-108. Correll, D. S., and M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas. Texas Research Foundahon, Renner, Texas. 1881 pp. Cuda, J. R, and M. C. Zeller. 1998. First record of Ochyromera ligustri (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from Chinese privet in Florida. Florida Entomologist 81: 582-584. Dirr, M.A. 1983. Manual of woody landscape plants, 3rd ed. Stipes Publishing Co., Champaign, IL. 536 pp. Faulkner, J. L., E. E. C. Clebsch, and W. L. Sand- ers. 1989. Use of prescribed burning for man- aging natural and historic resources in Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, USA. Environmental Manage- ment 13: 603-612. Florida EPPC. 1996. Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council occurrence database. URL: http:/ / www.fleppc.org/. Goddard, J. 1992. Ecological studies of adult Ix- odes scapularis in central Mississippi: quesh ing activity in relation to time of year, veg- etation type, and meteorologic conditions. Journal of Medical Entomology 29: 501-506. Godfrey, R. K. 1988. Trees, shrubs and woody vines of northern Florida and adjacent Geor- gia andAlabama. University of Georgia Press, Athens. 734 pp. Harley, K. L. S. 1986. Suppression of reproduc- tion of woody weeds using insects which destroy flowers or seeds, pp. 749-756. In Delfosse, E.S. (ed.). Proceedings of the VI In- ternational Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, 19-25 August 1984, Vancouver, Canada. Agriculture Canada. Hicks, C. B., and A. D. Oliver.1987. Citrus white- fly preference among four ornamental host plants. Hortscience 22: 59-60. Johnson, W. T., and H. H. Lyon. 1988. Insects that feed on trees and shrubs,2nd ed. Cornell Uni- versity Press, Ithaca. 556 pp. Langeland, K. A., and K. C. Burks. 1998. Identifi- cation and biology of non-native plants in Florida's natural areas. University of Florida, Gainesville. 165 pp. McCrae, W. A. 1980. Unusual bobwhite foods on abandoned Piedmont farmlands, Georgia, USA. Georgia Journal of Science 38: 49-54. Montaldo, N. H. 1993. Avian dispersal and re- productive success of two species of Ligustrum (Oleaceae) in a forest relict in Ar- gentina. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 66: 75-85. Nelson, G. 1996. The shrubs and woody vines of Florida. Pineapple Press, Sarasota. 391 pp. O'Brien, C. W., and G. J. Wibmer. 1982. Anno- tated checklist of the weevils (Curculionidae sensu lato) of North America, Central America, and West Indies (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea). Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 34: 116. Pemberton, R. W. 1996. The potential of biologi- cal control for the suppression of invasive weeds of southern environments. Castanea 61: 313-319. PlantFinder. 1999. PlantFinderwholesaleguide to foliage and ornamental plants, October, p. 165. Radford, A. E., H. E. Ahles, and C. R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. 1183 pp. Small, J. K. 1933. Manual of the southeastern flora, part one and two. University of North Caro- lina Press, Chapel Hill. 1554 pp. (facsimile reprint 1972, Hafner Publishing, New York.). Stromayer, K. A. K, R. J. Warren, and T. B. Harrington. 1998b. Managing Chinese privet for white-tailed deer. Southemjournal of Ap- plied Forestry 22: 227-230. Stromayer, K. A. K, R. J. Warren, A. S. Johnson, R E. Hale, C. L. Rogers, and C. L. Tucker.l998a. Chinese privet and the feeding ecology of white-tailed deer: The role of an exotic plant. Journal of Wildlife Management 62: 13211329. Taylor, E. S., L. K. Magrath, R Folley, R Buck, and S. Carpenter. 1996. Oklahoma vascular plants: Additions and distributional comments. Pro- ceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Sci- ences 76: 31-34. Warner, R. E. 1961. The genus Ochyromera new to the western hemisphere, with a new spe- cies and additions to the Junk-Schenkling Coleopterorum Catalogus (Curculionidae: Prionomerinae, Endaeini). Coleopterists' Bul- letin 15: 121-124. Wray, D. L. 1961. Biology and life history of the ligustrum weevil (Curculionidae). Coleopter- ists' Bulletin 15: 119-120. Wunderlin, R. R, B. F. Hansen, and E. L. Bridges. 1995 (updated Dec 1998). Atlas of Florida vascular plants. University of South Florida, Institute for Systematic Botany. URL: http: / / www.usf.edu/ ~isb /projects /atlas / maps/ ligusine.gif. & ligujapo.gif. WILDLAND WEEDS 19 To encourage participation and increase motivation, recognition was given to the individual and group with most tubers collected, the largest tuber collected, and the most unusual tuber collected. By Steven Vann The Great Air Potato RoundUp was an invasive norma- tive plant awareness festival held by the City of Gainesville, Florida's Nature Operations Division on February 5 th , 2000. The focus of the event was to help the public recognize that they play an integral role in the management of their local nature parks. An educated public is one of the most effective and powerful tools for a land manager. Most of our parks have residential borders and are connected to other neigh- borhoods by the many creeks that flow through Gainesville. For the last eighteen months, the City has been developing a public education campaign to help people understand how landscaping decisions they make at home can affect the natu- ral communities in their parks. The initial campaign consisted of nativescape workshops, a corresponding brochure, and guided nature waLks. The pro- gram enjoyed limited success. Our message was getting through, but we often had low attendance, and many of the participants were already aware of the problems of non-na- tive invasive plants. We were failing to attract a large portion of our target audience - the public who had little or no knowl- edge of the issue. Then one afternoon, while brainstorming in the office, it came to us. We needed to have one large, full-scale education event, disguised as a volunteer exotic plant removal day and celebration. To make the event fun for everyone, we decided to have prizes, competitions, and of course, a free Tshirt for participants, the "lure." Once we came up with a catchy name. The Great Air Potato RoundUp was on its way. Why Air Potato? We chose air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) for three reasons. First, air potato's prevalence in Gainesville helped volunteers recognize the plant during and after the event. The plant has large populations established along most of Gainesville's creeks; it is a menace to both public nature parks and private landowners. Second, picking up tubers that resemble baking potatoes involved little training for volunteers. Having a one day event did not allow time to train volunteers in plant iden- tification, mechanical removal, and herbicide application. Lastly, air potato tuber removal allowed us better sched- uling opportunities. The spring and fall in Gainesville are booked with festivals, plant sales, and football games and the summer is just too hot to attract many people outside. That left winter, when the plant is dormant and most of the tubers have descended, blanketing the ground... perfect. Organization The Great Air Potato RoundUp was modeled after popular litter cleanups, with participants collecting tubers instead of trash. We targeted areas in nature parks or properties that have direct creek connections to nature parks. Prospective volun- teers were asked to call prior to the event to pre-register. The volunteers were assigned sites and asked to meet their site leader at the site on the morning of the event. The site leaders were key. In addition to orientating and supervising volun- teers, they had the most important task of the day, education. We asked persons who were knowledgeable in ecology, Florida's Natural Communities, and invasive normative plant ecology to volunteer as site leaders. Armed with pressed plant samples, line drawings, photos, maps, and fact sheets, our site leaders gave short presentations prior to letting the volunteers loose to collect tubers. To encourage participation and increase motivation, recognition was given to the individual and group with most tubers collected, the largest tuber collected, and the most unusual tuber collected. These awards were presented at the celebration following the event. The celebration also of- fered educational displays, food, and live music from the local acoustic duo Trail Ridge, who performed their new tune. Air Potatoville. The event culminated with a prize drawing for sev- eral great prizes, including a new mountain bike (another great lure). Sponsorship Prior to the event, one of our goals was to obtain sponsors. The more money we had, the more we could do. We sent out several letters to businesses and organizations, and followed up with phone calls. Whenever the opportunity presented it- self, we took our show on the road, and gave several presenta- 20 SUMMER 2000 tions about the event. The old saying, "persistence does pay off," is true. The donations came pouring in. The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (EPPC) and the Payne's Prairie Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) enthu- siastically supported us. They were followed by donations from Dow Agrosciences, Brewer International, Monsanto, and Water and Air Research. In addition to monetary spon- sorships, several sponsors donated services or products. Full Circle Solutions helped us with the logistics of disposing of the tubers once collected, and a localbicycle shop. Spin Cycle, donated a mountain bike for the raffle. In addition, many local businesses donated several prizes that included movie and restaurant gift certificates, birdhouses, native plants, gym memberships, and much more. The Power of Advertising Now we had to get volunteers. Instead of depending on a single advertising method, we developed a multi-media approach. A radio ad ran twenty times in the week prior to the event, posters were put up in business windows around town, small signs were placed at strategic intersections, and we bought ad space on the side of two buses from the local public transit. We also took advantage of several free ad- vertising sources. The local public radio station played pub- lic service announcements daily about the event, and local newspapers ran articles before and after. We put listings in local volunteer announcements, and wrote articles for sev- eral local newsletters. We then began targeting groups such as local clubs and organizations. Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, neighborhood associations, and two great volun- teer resources in Gainesville, The University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College. We used the same persistent approach as obtaining sponsors; starting with letters, fol- lowed by phone calls, more phone calls, and then a travel- ing slide show to meetings. Success! Thanks to a creative idea, aggressive advertising, and generous sponsors the event was a success. When first dis- cussing the idea, we imagined getting 150 volunteers and decided to shoot for 300. Then the phone began to ring non- stop, and two weeks prior to the event we topped the 300 person goal. We added new sites daily to handle the increas- ing number of people. The final tally on the day after the event was staggering. 675 volunteers participated at 21 sites around Gainesville, collecting a total of 11,748 pounds of tubers, almost 6 tons! The success went well beyond the numbers. The event included knowledgeable volunteers, (the choir) and the general public. This mix had volunteers learn- ing from other volunteers. An article in the local student newspaper. The Alligator, captured the real success of the event. The article quoted a mother explaining how she and her children were headed home to remove air potato in their yard, and a teacher who was saving some tubers to show to her class on Monday morning. We are still receiving calls from people who are removing air potato form their yards, and from others that are organizing small roundups with their neighborhood associations. These types of results are too valuable to measure. Steven Vann is with the Nature Operations Division , City of Gainesville , Station 66, PO Box 490 Gainesville , PL 32602 (352) 334-2227. vanns@gru.net Helena Ad 1/2 page 2/c WILDLAND WEEDS 21 Internodes XenoNET Biological control on the Web So, you say your favorite filth is in- fested with filth flies? Is your green- house so loaded with Lygus bugs that your specimen plants are withering away? What's to be done, especially if you'd like to avoid using chemical con- trol methods? Sounds like biological control's for you. And there's more to biological control than you might think. Many question the soundness of biological control, some argue its effec- tiveness, and others may just want to try and save their filth. A little bit of surfing may well settle all these issues. Several websites might need visit- ing before you'll be able care and feed for some biological controls like filth fly parasites or pathogens of Lygus bugs. The National Biological Control Institute is run by USDA and their website f www.aphis.usda.gov /nbci. / noci. html ) provides some general in- formation on biological control. Most of its information, though, has to do with the agency, their mission, etc., not biological control itself. But it does pro- vide links to sites that truly inform about the subject. If you want to be theoretical, the website ( www.ruwpa.st-and.ac.uk/ projects / other /locust. html ) of the ap- plied mathematicians at St. Andrews University (Scotland) offer things like spatially-modeled grasshopper patho- gen interactions. Their model illus- trates what might happen when a biocontrol agent induces change in the population of a pest. Their work illus- trates population interactions and the complexities affecting whether biocontrol initiatives will succeed. Sometimes websites disappoint, like one maintained by the Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers f www.anbp.org ). It provides only thumbnails sketches of biological con- trol information and doesn't really live up to its stated intent of sharing pro- ducers of natural biocontrols in the marketplace. When you click on the "hotspots" for sources of specific con- trol agents, none appear for any of the agents listed. Maybe the site is simply under development. So, government websites sometimes lose their focus, private sector sites may not have resources available to construct a really complete website. Yet, biological control is really well rep- resented by at least one website, called the Biological Control Virtual ~forma- tion Center f lpmwww.ncsu.edu / biocontrol/ biocontrol.html ). Ento- mologists and others at North Carolina State University took the time to pro- vide very instructive text on wide- ranging examples of biocontrol along with links to other useful biocontrol sites. Mark Your Calendar Third International Weed Sci- ence Congress. Foz do lguassu, Parana, Brazil. June 6-11, 2000. Contact: P. J. Eventos 55/41/372- 1177, pj@datasoft. com.br. International Meeting for the So- ciety of Conservation Biology. Uni- versity of Montana, Missoula. June 9-12, 2000. Contact Fred Allendorf 406/243-4184, darwin@se]way. umt.edu, www.umt.edu/ scb2000. The Urban Forestry Institute: The Wildland-Urban Interface, Bal- ancing Growth with Natural Re- source Management and Conserva- tion. The Plaza Hotel, Daytona Beach, FL. June 25-30, 2000. Con- tact: Mary Vuryea 352/846-0896, mld@ gnv.ifas.ufl.edu. 40th Annual and International Meeting, Aquatic Plant Manage- ment Society. Hanclerly Hotel and Resort, San Diego CA. July 16-20, 2000. Contact Jim Schmidt 800/ 5585106, jimschmidt@appliedbio chemists.com. American Society of Horticul- tural Scientists, Building a Bright Future for Horticulture. Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando FL. July 23-26, 2000. Contact: www.asks.org 85th Annual Meeting of the Eco- logical Society of America. Snow- bird Utah. August 6-10, 2000. Con- tact ESA 202/833-8773, esahq@esa.org. International Conference of the Society for Ecologial Restoraton. Liverpool England. September 4- 9, 2000. Contact: SER 608/265-8557, ser@macc.wisc.edu, www.ser.org. 27th Annual Natural Areas Con- ference. Regal Riverfront Hotel, St. Louis, MO. October 16-20, 2000. Join the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council! Annual Membership Dues Include: Quarterly magazine, Wildland Weeds • Quarterly newsletter Legislative updates regarding exotic plant control issues. Membership: INDIVIDUAL Student - $10 General - $20 Contributing - $50 Donor - $51-500 INSTITUTIONAL General - $100 Contributing - $500 Donor - $501-$10, 000 Patron - $10,000 or more Wildland Weeds subscription - $ 15/year ( does not include other membership benefits) Name: Address: Telephone:. _e-mail: Membership type: Mail to: Dan Thayer, 3301 Gun Club Rd., West Palm Bch., FL 33406 22 SUMMER 2000 Zeneca Full page 4/C P/U WILDLAND WEEDS 23 Griffin 4/C 24 SUMMER 2000