| Photo Information |
Copyright: manee makkala (makkala)
![Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 45 W: 0 N: 77]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/s-n-g.gif) (1588) |
| Genre: Plants |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2009-07-26 |
| Categories: Flowers |
| Exposure: f/4, 1/500 seconds |
| More Photo Info: [view] |
| Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop |
| Date Submitted: 2009-08-07 4:52 |
| Viewed: 333 |
| Points: 4 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Macfadyena unguis-cati (vine, climber)
Taxonomic name: Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) A.H. Gentry
Synonyms: Batocydia unguis-cati (L.) Mart. ex Britt., Bignonia tweedieana Lindl., Bignonia unguis-cati L., Doxantha unguis-cati (L.) Miers
Common names: bejuco de gato (Spanish), cat-claw creeper (English), catclaw-trumpet (English), catclawvine (English), cat's claw climber (English), cat's claw creeper (English), cat's claw vine (English), cat's-claw (English), claw vine (English), funnel-creeper (English), griffe à chatte (Spanish), katteklouranker (English), liane patate (French), macfadyena (English), patte d'oiseau (French), paz y justicia (Spanish), riffe chatte (French), uña de gato (Spanish), yellow trumpet vine (English)
Organism type: vine, climber
Macfadyena unguis-cati is a perennial, climbing liana found primarily in tropical forests. It is native to the Central and South Americas and the West Indies, but currently is represented on every continent except Antartica. It is an invasive species in much of its range and is said to be “one of the most destructive exotic vines”. Macfadyena unguis-cati effects all layers of infected forest ecosystems by rapidly spreading both vertically and horizontally across everything with which it makes contact, overwhelming both the understorey plants and the canopy trees. Macfadyena unguis-cati species becomes established quickly and is difficult to eliminate due to its rapid growth, extensive root system, and prolific seed production. Methods of manual, chemical, and biological control for Macfadyena unguis-cati are available.
Macfadyena unguis-cati is a perennial, climbing liana found in tropical forests. Its dark, fibrous stem may exceed a diameter of 8cm and may extend higher than 20m into the tree canopy (Francis, undated). The species’ long primary root extends across the soil surface making large tubers (up to 40cm long) every 50cm from which runners are produced. Additionally, the stem produces adventitious roots to anchor to the host tree, and often roots at the nodes (McClymont, 1996).
The dark green, compound leaves are oppositely arranged and are composed of two leaflets with a trifid tendril between. The leaflet size and shape are variable: the small, narrowly ovate to lanceolate young leaves are 1-2cm long and 4-8mm wide and may become ovate, truncate, and up to 16cm long and 6.9cm wide at maturity. Mature leaves are glabrous with 4-6 prominent secondary veins. The hooked tendril, used to climb host trees, has three stiff arms 0.3-1.7cm long on a petiolule 0.5-2.5cm long (Woodson et al., 1973).
M. Unguis-cati generally flowers from March-June in the late dry to early wet season (Woodson et al., 1973) with all flowers blooming within a few days (Gentry, 1974). The inflorescence of the species is an axillary panicle generally bearing1-3 tubular-campanulate flowers, though up to 15 flowers may be present. The five-lobed, yellow corolla has red-orange lines in the throat and is 4.5-10cm long and 1.2-2.4cm wide. Stamens number four (occasionally five) and are about 3mm long (Francis, undated; Woodson et al., 1973). The species produces black, linear, flattened capsules ranging from 26-95cm long and 1-1.9cm wide. Each capsule contains about 100-200 small, brown, winged seeds (Francis, undated) that are 1-1.8cm long and 4.2-5.8cm wide (Woodson et al., 1973).
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http://www.invasivespecies.net/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1227&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN |
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