Scientific Name

Miconia racemosa (Aubl.) DC.

Family

Melastomataceae

Common Names

camasey felpa, miconia

Origin

Native to the Caribbean (i.e. Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago), Central America (i.e. Panama) and tropical South America (i.e. Brazil, French Guiana, Surinam, Guyana and Venezuela).

Naturalised Distribution

Locally naturalised in northern Queensland.

Notes

Miconia (Miconia racemosa) is regarded as a potentially serious environmental weed in Queensland. It has the ability to invade rainforest areas, displace native plant species and affect the habitat of native fauna. The coastal tropical and sub-tropical rainforests of eastern Australia are at particular risk of invasion by this species. This shrub or small tree was first recorded as naturalised in Australia in 2002, and an eradication program is currently underway. To date only known infestation is scattered throughout several hectares of disturbed forest near Kuranda, in northern Queensland.

This aggressive species is capable of invading intact rainforest and can be very hard to find under the forest canopy. Its seeds are primarily spread from cultivated plants into rainforest areas by birds. Like other miconias (Miconia spp.) it is an extremely aggressive invader of rainforest habitats following canopy damage, and there is great potential for mass seedling recruitment and thicket formation in areas affected by cyclones.