*Flame
Vine*
(Pyrostegia venusta)
Kristen Blanton, 2003 Summer Intern, Wellesley College '04
The purpose of this project is to both remove flame vine from the northeast corner of Archbold Biological Station (map) and to determine its invasive potential to different habitats within the station. Flame vine, with its showy red-orange flowers, was brought to the United States from Brazil for landscape purposes. It was planted as a landscape vine at Archbold in the early 1930s, and has since grown aggressively in the sandhill habitat of the northeast corner.
Our plan for removing flame vine is to physically cut vines that have grown into the canopy. This will prevent it from resprouting for its roots are grounded. Herbicide will then be applied to the large roots that have formed intricate patterns within the ground. Different herbicides will be applied in order to determine which is the most effective in treating this woody vine. Lastly, the flame vine that has formed a dense cover along the fence will be burned in order to see how fire affects flame vine.
In order to determine whether flame vine is invasive in habitats other than sandhill, cuttings will be planted in soils obtained from different habitats within the station. Several factors will be considered when determining the rate of germination such as shade, size of cutting, and amount of water.
Grows high into canopy Physical Removal
Intricate Root System Taking over fence
Lots of Biomass!
• Hutchinson, J.T.,
April 2003.
© Archbold Biological Station, 2003 April.
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