Noxious tumbleweed rolls on Maui thousands of seeds dropped KIA‘I MOKU out. Now tumbleweed can be By James Leary found infesting hundreds of acres and spreading into up- ho per Kula, south into Keokea W and north into Pukalani. doesn’t ap- This weed is very drought- preciate a tolerant and is highly invasive good Western in windswept areas and open, movie with disturbed landscapes. With this the iconic knowledge of tumbleweed ecol- tumbleweed ogy, we fear that new territories rolling across are prone to invasion including the desolate, open range? Haleakala National Park, Little does the audience real- Paia, Maalaea, and all of West ize that when the credits are Maui. These infestations are a done rolling there isn’t always costly impediment to farmers. a happy ending. Tumbleweed Above: A tumbleweed, which can be found on three Hawaiian Islands, grows Tumbleweed is also a public in Omaopio (Salsola tragus or prickly safety hazard. In January 2007, Russian thistle), is a Federal Holopuni road was closed as and State Noxious Weed. The a result of a wind storm that dead tumbleweed seen blow- blew in tumbleweeds from the ing in the wind is actually an adjacent fi elds and completely evolutionary adaptation for blocked access to oncoming dispersing viable seeds and traffi c. By the time tumble- invading new territories. weed has reached the “ball” This exotic plant pest is na- stage, it is quite dry. Rolling, tive to Asia and was introduced burning tumbleweeds could Left: Dead tumbleweeds sit in a forest in Pulehu. As they roll arond, the weed to the US in the late 1800’s make stopping the spread of deposits lots of seeds. via a contaminated shipment a wildfi re even more diffi cult. Right: This is what a tumbleweed seedling looks like. of fl ax seed to South Dakota. Mature, dry, plants are Today, it is found in all 50 recognizable as nearly perfect So what can you do to help? local CTAHR Cooperative states of the union, but is most balls up to 3 feet across that We’re deputizing the local citi- Extension Specialist at 808- prevalent in the West, where bounce across the landscape. zenry of Maui to (1) learn how 352-8774 or MISC representa- it infests millions of acres of Seedlings can usually be found to identify tumbleweed and tive at 808-573-MISC (6472) open range. Despite the ability in recently disturbed locations report the plants to the HDOA to invade a wide territory, this or after recent rain events. Hotline, 643-PEST (7378), (2) weed pest likely didn’t “tum- They are usually brighter support the revitalization of ■ James Leary is an invasive ble” across the Pacifi c; rather green than the other plants our prime agricultural lands weed management specialist it probably stowed away on a and will develop thorns early. in Central Maui buying local with the University of Hawaii contaminated shipment from The fl ower is small, but don’t produce and meat products College of Tropical Agriculture the mainland. It is even plau- be fooled—a single mature (Have you tried a Kula onion, and Human Resources and is sible that this pest originated plant is known to produce goat cheese, pineapple, teri- stationed at teh Maui Agricul- from just a single container. up to 200,000 tiny seeds. yaki grass-fed burger lately? tural Researc Center in Kula. Populations of tumbleweed Although the tumbleweed Broke da mouth!) and fi nally He hold a doctorate in weed exist on Oahu, Hawaii, and problem appears to be get- (3) voice your support for the ecology from UH-Manoa. Maui. So far it has not been ting worse, all is not lost. state and county to improve “Kia‘i Moku,”(Guarding detected on Molokai and La- In general, tumble weed is bio-security at our ports of the Island) is prepared by nai. Small populations were not very competitive with entry to prevent the introduc- the Maui Invasive Species identifi ed in central Maui over other vegetation and the seed tion of new unwanted pests. Committee to provide in- a decade ago, but initial control bank is not very long-lived. We hold high regard for formation on protecting the actions weren’t adequate to There are many examples our Paniolo heritage, but let’s island from invasive plants stop it in its tracks. As the on the mainland where viable leave the tumbleweed for and animals that can threaten wind rolled nearly perfect agricultural production on the Hollywood. For more infor- the island’s environment, balls across Maui’s fi elds, landscape is a proven cure. mation please contact your economy and quality of life. As submitted to the Maui News. Published August 8th, 2010. Page C6