Sphagneticola tribolata, a native to tropical America, is a vigorous ground cover, and must have been introduced in the Philippines many years ago to control erosion — for why would we find it in the mountains and even down in the towns?
I first noticed this spreading menace in the 70s on the way to Mt. Malindang in Mindanao, where my grandfather used to have his farm. It was 11 kilometers from the highway going up, between Oroquieta City and Aloran, the next town.
I noticed this unfamiliar ground cover with pretty tiny yellow flowers, and healthy glossy leaves.
Already, I saw how it spread along the road for kilometers, covering our natural roadside weeds and grasses.
To this day, I continue to see them in many places here. They have taken over various fields in Liptong Woodland in Bacong. I see them along the Maayong Tubig River. Recently in Upper Balugo by the Banica River, this plant had taken over a huge portion of the landscape.
I was told by Carolyn, the farmer around that area, that an attempt to eradicate this ground cover with some kind of herbicide helped a little, but that it came back with virulence just the same.
Herbicides sprayed over a large area will go down into our ground water, and therefore, our drinking water.
In Dumaguete City, I have seen the Singapore Daisy over at the Buglas Isla compound. A portion of land, still unused, is covered by the Singapore Daisy.
With very strong roots, it does its job of preventing erosion, but seeing how it outcompetes native plants and grasses make it a bad solution.
Floods bring portions down, and this plant settles nicely where it lands. It covers fields and fields of our native plants and grasses, overcoming them. It is an enemy of biodiversity.
In the world, Sphagneticola tribolata is considered one of the top worst invasive species. It is so aggressive that only chemical control is effective to eradicate it, until the infestation is down to a few individual plants, and then hand weeding works. That is what is recommended in the internet.
The Queensland government has legal requirements to the Singapore Daisy. In the Biosecurity Act of 2014, the Singapore Daisy must not be given away, sold, nor released into the environment.
What about us here? The people who live around fields of the Singapore Daisy seem to be unconcerned, or many remain ignorant of the consequences of letting this plant run wild.
I am not aware of any ordinance or directive to prevent the Singapore Daisy from being planted here, or from being spread around here.
Lazada and Shopee are even featuring Sphagneticola tribolata in their website as the plant to order.
By writing about this here, I hope the awareness on the loss to biodiversity due to the uncontrolled spread of the Singapore Daisy that chokes everything in its way be brought to the attention of the public, and of the agents of government who deal with invasive plants.
I had just emailed our provincial DENR, the PENRO asking what their position is on this matter — which I hope to share with you soon, and discuss what comes out of this.
_______________________________________
Author’s email: terryneemwindler@gmail.com
