Madeira vine

We have no historic photographic observations of Madeira on the site, but the 1997-99 Plant Species list for the site records Madeira as observed, manually controlled, and "eradicated". Tubers may have remained unseen, however, and no systematic monitoring of the site of that invasion was done, so it is possible that the current extensive invasion stems from that one. However, in our Weed Invasion collection we have designated Madeira a "new" invasion rather than an "ongoing" one, since it was not observed during most of the 1997-99 restoration period.

The Madeira vine invasion in Zone Eb from streamside to roadside, as observed and identified by telephoto photography during Survey 2019:

The invasion was first identified in a dying Tanekaha 10-20mH on the Kaipatiki Road side of the stream bank:
Madeira in dying tanekaha
(only the top part of the tree observable, from a break in canopy near Kaipatiki Roadside).

The top of a tall nikau, probably on the Witheford side streambank, can be seen behind a floral Madeira crown

Several telephoto observations from the roadside were made until a likely cause for the Tanekaha's ongoing death was discovered: Madeira vine is flowering throughout the dead top of one Tanekaha. Another dead tree that looks like Tanekaha is nearby, possibly affected but its lower part not visible from above.

A single Madeira vine is visible from ground to canopy in a Mahoe halfway up the bank, looking down on it from Kaipatiki Rd through a telephoto lens.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/22879594
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/22876285
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/22876284

The Madeira may also be in a tall nikau visible over the top of the Mahoe, its crown shaft appearing to be surrounded by Madeira flowers.

The tubers are visible on the stems in the caopy of the dying Tanekaha. With its sparse dead branches bearing ripening Tanekaha fruit, decorated with tinsel-like strands ofMadeira flowers, it looks like a very sad Christmas tree.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/22876273

Also possibly affected, just upstream of the dying tanekaha:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/22876283

Unfortunately we had not yet discovered this hard-to-spot invasion when Wildlands visited the site to swap notes recently prior to the annual weed control operation for Witheford Reserve.

[EDIT 29 August 2019: It was later learned that the Witheford Reserve Ecocontract at the time did not cover this side of the stream, which though a Significant Ecological area is apparently not a Reserve. However, we have recently been told told this area will now be addressed as part of the Witheford Reserve Ecocontract.]

[The viewpoint all for these observations is also useful for spotting the canopies of a few tall tree privet, pine, wattle, and woolly nightshade that would not be obvious from the ground, and can't be seen otherwise due to other canopy.

The viewpoint is itself the site of moth plant vines 3cm D in pittosporum, cut but not uprooted and the pods still in the trees, and a Japanese honeysuckle invasion cut and uprooted where found in roadside trees].

Posted on April 22, 2019 11:48 AM by kaipatiki_naturewatch