An East Maui man is concerned about a prolific vine he noticed at an Upcountry ranch, a plant that is “growing everywhere . . . thick on walls, fences, trees, telephone poles.”
“A worker told me that the vine first showed up about two years ago and can grow literally several feet a day!” Dennis O’Donnell of Haiku said by e-mail. “He said he thinks Ulupalakua Ranch doesn’t mind, because it gives their cattle something to eat, plus it chokes out weeds.“That may be true, but surely this invasive plant is choking out everything else, too,” O’Donnell said.
He wondered what it is, where it came from and “what steps are being taken to control it?”
“Is Haleakala National Park worried about this vine possibly coming in and overtaking native plants?” he asked.
“And what about when it makes its way to Kula and the farms in Omaopio? Won’t it be a major fire hazard if it dries out during a drought?”
A spokeswoman for the Maui Invasive Species Committee says a concerted, communitywide effort is needed to stamp out the invasive vine, which reportedly was imported for cattle feed, but itself is gobbling up the countryside.
“The vine is known as glycine or Neonotonia wightii to botanists,” said Joylynn Paman, public relations and education specialist for MISC.
“Native to Central and South America and the West Indies, glycine is a vigorous twining perennial vine belonging to the legume (pea) family,” she said.
Paman agreed that glycine is an “intruding vine creeping its way near highways, pastures and private properties. . . . Glycine smothers grasses and other low-lying vegetation. It strangles dry forests, covers road signs and is a nuisance for archaeologists among others.”
The Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project says the plant – also known as “perennial soybean” – bears pods about one inch long. These contain four to seven dark reddish-brown seeds.
Paman said, Ulupalakua Ranch introduced glycine to the Valley Isle “decades ago . . . to provide a high-protein forage for cattle.” Since then, it has insinuated itself into “wet and dry habitats from Haiku, Kahului, West and Upcountry Maui, and Auwahi reserve.”
“It has naturalized in pastures and has spread throughout the island by highway maintenance equipment, and the movement of seed-contaminated soil, rocks and cinders from Ulupalakua,” she said.
Paman confirmed O’Donnell’s concern that the vine presents a threat to native species at the summit.
“Haleakala National Park has observed glycine on its property and controlled it,” she said. “Naturally, the invasion of this vine into pristine areas of the park is of utmost concern; therefore, park officials are constantly on the watch for it and will control it on sight.”
Paman said residents, likewise, must be vigilant to stop the invader plant.
“Control of glycine should be done on a local scale because it is so widespread. For the average landowner, the vine can be controlled by hand pulling, constant mowing or spraying herbicide. The seeds, however, remain viable for years, and preventive measures to stop the spread of seeds should be taken.
“By working together, we all can have a part in preventing the spread of glycine,” she said.
Research biologist Art Medeiros urged people to take a stitch-in-time-saves-nine approach to controlling glycine; otherwise, efforts will turn “into nine stitches and you’ll be spending a lot of time” battling what he calls “a bad-boy weed.”
“It really complicates management of native forests,” he added of the explosively climbing vine. “It’s amazing how it spread so quickly on Maui.”
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