Principal source: Lygodium Task Force, 2001. Lygodium Management Plan for Florida
FDEP, UNDATED. Japanese climbing fern ( Lygodium japonicum)
Compiler: National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) & IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)
Review: John C. Volin Professor and Director of Environmental Sciences Department of Biological Sciences Florida Atlantic University Florida USA
Publication date: 2006-11-29
Recommended citation: Global Invasive Species Database (2024) Species profile: Lygodium japonicum. Downloaded from http://iucngisd.org/gisd/speciesname/Lygodium+japonicum on 31-08-2024.
Munger (2005) reports that L. japonicum may also impact rare and threatened taxa. Recent studies indicate that that this species, in Florida, threatens the rare plant ray fern (Actinostachys pennula), as well as the endangered Georgia bully (Sideroxylon thornei), common dutchmanspipe (Aristolochia tomentosa), and branched tearthumb (Polygonum meisnerianum).
L. japonicum also poses an unknown economic threat to the tourism industry through its degradation of natural resources in parks and natural areas (Lygodium Task Force, 2001).
Biological: L. japonicum's more temperate distribution would require the use of biological control agents that are tolerant of cold. Unfortunately, the use of such cold hardy agents might place the native species L. palmatum at risk. Potential candidates have been found but it is unknown how specific their level of predation is. Further research is necessary to determine if the introduction of natural predators would inadvertently hard the native L. palmatum in North America. One of the more prospective biological control agents identified is a rust fungus, Puccinia lygodii, native to South America and naturalized in the United States, which has recently been found infecting L. japonicum. P. lygodii is a glasshouse pest of ornamental Lygodium (Jones, 1987), and may eventually have a role in the control of L. japonicum and its close relative L. microphyllum. P. lygodii infections are characterized by the lower surfaces of the pinnules becoming covered with cinnamon-brown eruptive pustules. Necrotic areas develop around mature, erupted, and coalesced pustules. Severely infected foliage wilts and dies. Microscopic observations of the pustules and spore morphology revealed these eruptive structures to be uredinia (Gooslby et al. 2003; Pemberton et al. 2002; and Rayachhetry, 2001).