ALIEN INVASIVE PLANT OF THE MONTH Scientific Name: SOLANUM SEAFORTHIANUM Common Name: Potato Creeper, St. Vincent Lilac Zulu Name: Unknown to us at this point in time Invasive Status: CATEGORY 1 Countries of Origin: Tropical America (including Brazil) & West Indies Toxicity Status: POISONOUS TO HUMANS Flowers: Blue, Lilac, Mauve to Purple Fruits: Small shiny green turning red berries, 5-10 mm across, in pendulous bunches Solanum seaforthianum /Potato Creeper, St. Vincent Lilac. This plant was named after Lord Seaforth (Francis Mackenzie Humberston) who was Governor of Barbados in the West Indies from 1801 to 1806. It was he, who was responsible for the introduction of this and many other plant species into Britain as living plants for gardens from the West Indies. This is another plant species that was introduced for ornamental purposes and has now escaped into the urban areas where it will be found scrambling in hedges and shrubs and the natural areas. Solanum seaforthianum is a scrambling invasive vine which will grow in sun to partial shade and is generally found climbing amongst shrubs and trees in woodland areas and forest margins where it can attain a height of up to 7 metres or more. It is often found on anthills and along stream and river banks where there is sufficient light. All parts of the plant and the seed are poisonous to humans if ingested. The seed is mainly dispersed by birds to which it is not toxic, but it has been reported to be toxic to livestock. For further information and reading on the matter, you are invited to refer to the following: Alien Weeds and Invasive Plants by Lesley Henderson. A Field Guide to WILD FLOWERS KWA-ZULU NATAL and the Eastern Region by Elsa Pooley. Problem Plants and Alien Weeds of South Africa by Clive Bromilow. Also a few websites of interest: http://www.arc.agric.za/home.asp?pid=1031 http://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/ff/alien_biot a/layout.pdf http://biodiversityadvisor.sanbi.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_seaforthianum http://toptropicals.com/cgi- bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?uid=solanum_seaforthianum http://www.hear.org/pier/species/solanum_seaforthianum.htm http://www.hear.org/starr/images/species/?q=solanum+seaforthianum&o =plants http://143.216.33.102/efsa/lucid/Solanaceae/Solanum%20species/key/Au stralian%20Solanum%20species/Media/Html/Solanum_seaforthianum.htm Should you reside in Mtunzini or surrounds and would like to contact someone from the Mtunzini Conservancy for further advice, or assistance in dealing with Alien Invasive Plants, or assistance in identifying which are Alien Invasive Plants, or which plants are soon to be promulgated as Alien Invasive Plants, please contact anyone of the following persons, who will gladly assist you: Mike Butler – 083 654 3010 Doggy Kewley - 083 630 1839 Jim Chedzey - 083 326 0698 For advice on alternative indigenous plants which are best suited to be planted in the space that has been cleared of Aliens, ask any of the persons above, or: Bruce Hopwood - 083 301 2958 Jonathan Cromhout - 083 630 6466 The Mtunzini Conservancy is a non-profit Section 21 Company that is continually striving for the betterment of our environment. PS – Should you either reside in, or are due to visit Mtunzini, please take the time to visit & view the Mtunzini Conservancy’s Alien Invasive Plant of the Month display stand located on the pavement outside the entrance to MTUNZINI SPAR, to view a growing specimen of the Solanum seaforthianum/ Potato Creeper, St. Vincent Lilac plant. .