Japanese Climbing Fern (Invasive Exotic Plants of North Carolina)

Japanese Climbing Fern

Lygodium japonicum

Summary ⁶

Lygodium japonicum is a species of fern that is known by the common name Japanese climbing fern. It is native to eastern Asia, including Japan, Korea, southeastern Asia, and India, and eastern Australia. The fern is present in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico as an introduced species.

Impacts and control ⁷

More info for the terms: cover, fern, ferns, fire management, fronds, interference, natural, shrub, shrubs, top-kill, tree

Impacts: Although there are few studies documenting the impacts of climbing ferns on native plants and ecosystems in the southeastern U.S., their invasion is likely to have deleterious effects. Nauman and Austin [21] reported that climbing ferns are established, persistent, and spreading in Florida, Japanese climbing fern in the north and Old World climbing fern in the south. A review by Ferriter [5] suggested that climbing ferns don't require "human disturbance in order to spread and become established."

Most accounts of impacts associated with climbing fern invasion (e.g. reviews by [1,15,16,21,25,41]) describe interference with native plants due to a prodigious growth habit. Climbing ferns can produce thick mats along the ground, severely reducing native ground cover. A review by Wood [41]) indicated that Old World climbing fern can form mats up to 4 feet (1.2 m) thick. They also climb into forest canopies, shading trees and shrubs that it covers, weakening or killing them, their associated epiphytic orchids and bromeliads, and understory plants.

Japanese climbing fern Old World climbing fern Â©Barry A. Rice/The Nature Conservancy Â©Mandy Tu/The Nature Conservancy

Of particular concern may be climbing fern impacts on native vegetation within many of the region's high-quality natural areas. A review by Pemberton and others [23] indicated that, as of 2004, Old World climbing fern was rapidly spreading in southern Florida, including in Everglades National Park. Volin and other [38] expressed concern that efforts to restore Everglades hydrology to approximate a "pre-drainage environment," while perhaps reducing establishment and spread of many important nonnative plant invaders, may "improve the ecological conditions for Old World climbing fern." Lott and others [16] reported that Old World climbing fern "has been observed overtopping tree canopies among tree islands in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge" [16]. Volin and others [38] recorded an average of 14 Old World climbing fern infestations (defined as contiguous growth that had climbed above the shrub layer on 1 or more trees) per km2 along transects in the Big Cypress National Preserve and Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation. The most heavily infested transect contained 58 infestations per km 2.

Climbing fern invasion may also impact rare and threatened taxa. Reviews by Ferriter [5] and Langeland [15] indicate that climbing fern invasion 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).

Control: Removing dead material following climbing fern control activities may be desirable to reduce fuels and to promote native plant recovery. On-site disposal of dead climbing fern material, such as by burning, can reduce spore dispersal (reviewed by [5]).

Ferriter [5] provides an extensive review of climbing fern management in Florida, available online through Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.

Prevention: Frequent monitoring and immediate removal of newly established climbing fern populations may be the best strategy for mitigating their spread, especially since spore production can be prolific and spores may be dispersed over vast distances [5].

Integrated management: No information is available on this topic.

Physical/mechanical: Repeated pulling and/or cutting can control small climbing fern infestations (reviewed by [28]). Cutting kills fronds above the cut site, but fronds can regrow from below the cut site and after pulling (reviewed by [5]).

Fire: See the Fire Management Considerations section of this summary.

Biological: Pemberton [24] and Pemberton and others [23] reviewed the developmental status (as of 2004) of biological control of climbing ferns in North America. In February 2005, more than 100 individuals of Austromusotima camptonozale, an Australian moth and the first biological control agent approved for use against Old World climbing fern in the United States, were released at the Jonathon Dickinson State Park, southeastern Florida. Larvae of A. camptonozale feed on Old World climbing fern leaves [6].

Chemical: Several sources indicate herbicides may be an effective tool for controlling invasive climbing ferns. A review by Langeland [15] suggests the most common climbing fern control method, as of 2004, has been application of glyphosate and metsulfuron herbicides, either individually or in combination. When plants have grown into the canopy, stems may be cut and herbicide applied to the rooted portion of the plant [15]. Roberts [30] indicated foliar spraying of glyphosate can control Old World climbing fern, but few data and no analysis were provided. Descriptive results from several "demonstration trials" in southeastern Florida suggest that glyphosate, triclopyr, and 2,4-D can be used to at least top-kill Old World climbing fern, and that triclopyr ester (vs. triclopyr amine) may be "translocated" within the plant following application [36]. According to Randall [28], managers at Florida Caverns State Park have treated large Japanese climbing fern infestations by pulling the plants down from the trees and spraying their foliage with triclopyr. A review by Ferriter [5], citing unpublished data, indicated that glyphosate was effective for controlling Japanese climbing fern, although some follow-up spot treatments were necessary. Triclopyr treatments, while initially providing greatest observed Japanese climbing fern mortality, were ineffective in the long term due to extensive regrowth.

Other authors have indicated that herbicide use for climbing fern control may be problematic. A review by Stanturf and others [34] suggested that Japanese climbing fern "cannot be controlled by any available herbicide." Old World climbing fern can apparently "regrow after spraying" with herbicides (reviewed by [41]), although further details describing the biology of this phenomenon are lacking. Pemberton and Ferriter [25] suggested that chemical control of Old World climbing fern (and presumably also Japanese climbing fern) will be difficult without damaging associated vegetation.

Cultural: No information is available on this topic.

Sources and Credits

(c) Shipher (士緯) Wu (吳), some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettaman/2930671948/
(c) Stefano, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/81918877@N00/7767357012/
(c) Homer Edward Price, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/28340342@N08/8679049574/
(c) 106611639464075912591, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by 106611639464075912591, https://picasaweb.google.com/106611639464075912591/PetaiTrail#5991729316232182946
(c) Richard Candler, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Richard Candler
Adapted by Kate Wagner from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygodium_japonicum
Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24627171

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