Banana Poka
Passiflora tarminiana
Restricted to Kula area. Report if seen outside of Kula.
Known from and potential habitat
Native to northern South America. Restricted to Kula area on Maui. Report at 643pest.org if seen outside of Kula.
Species Info General
Banana poka was introduced to Hawai’i in the 1920s as an ornamental. By 1926, botanists found naturalized populations on Maui, Kaua’i, and Hawai’i Island. This woody, climbing vine can smother trees and other plants and poses a serious risk to Maui’s mesic forests.
PEST WATCH: If this plant is seen outside of Upcountry, report at 643PEST.org.
Attribution: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0
Identification/Description
- Fast growing climbing vine.
- Large showy pink flowers.
- Produces many elongated fruit that are yellow in color when ripe. Fruit contain an orange pulp with hundreds of seeds.
- Leaves are dark green and have three distinct lobes.
Impacts
- Climbs and smothers trees.
- Fruit provides a food source for non-native animals. Seeds are dispersed by birds and feral pigs.
- Dense curtains of the vine can extend to the ground from canopy branches, sometimes causing branches to break and toppling trees during storms.
- Dense mats of vines also cover the understory trees and shrubs and inhibit regeneration of the native trees (Mueller-Dombois et al. 1980).
On Maui
Restricted to Kula, Maui. Report if seen outside of Upcountry.
Control info/Info on what MISC does about it
- Coming Soon!
Resources/References
- Hawaii Invasive Species Council – Banana Poka
- CTAHR – Passiflora tarminiana
- Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) – Banana Poka
- Photo attributions:
- Forrest and Kim Starr
