Plus - Letter to the editor

Alligator weed is not ‘mukunuwenna’

Your paper (Sunday Times, October 4, 2009) highlighted the spread of alligator weed in an article titled “Beware of Alligator”.I have been working on alligator weed in Australia since 1995. This is not a native plant of Australia, but of Brazil and Argentina (it comes from the Amazon River basin).

Its presence in Australia was first recorded in 1946, when it was found growing on ballast dumped by wartime shipping.

Alligator weed is described as a noxious weed in all Australian states and territories. It is highly suited to the climates in Australia, where it has become naturalised. The weed is also found in New Zealand, the United States, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka.

Since the ’60s, the plant has been mistakenly grown as a vegetable by Sri Lankans living in Australia. As an invasive plants specialist, I identified the error in 1995.

Alligator weed is amphibious and can grow in a variety of habitats ranging from damp soil along the shoreline of rivers, canals, wetlands, ponds, lakes, streams and ditches, but usually in fresh-to-slightly brackish water. It can withstand some salinity. This amazing plant can grow in wet soil or in dry land without any water for several months.

The weed’s health risk has not been properly studied so far. The main problem with the plant is its ability to invade water resources such as salvinia and water hyacinth. We do not want another invasive plant choking our water resources.

Alligator weed may have came to Sri Lanka from Australia via humans and been mistakenly planted here as a vegetable. Identifying alligator weed is easy. The flower is larger (1-3 cm wide) and grows at the end of stalks (4-9 cm long).

The mukunuwenna flowers are small (less than 5 mm) and grow in clusters at the leaf joints. But you do not see flowers during the vegetative growth stages, when people harvest these plants for sale.

The two species can be identified more easily by looking at the stems. The Alligator weed stem is soft and hollow, while the mukunuwenna stem is woody.

Learn to identify “kimbulwenna” or Alligator weed, but don’t stop eating “mukunuwenna”. It is a very healthy green.

Dr. Lalith Gunasekera, Melbourne, Australia

 
Top to the page  |  E-mail  |  views[1]
 
Other Plus Articles
The Mission of hope
Away he goes on a rope
Letter to police top brass from victim of traffic cop corruption -- Letter to the editor
Mother speaks - like an angel from heaven -- Letter to the editor
Alligator weed is not ‘mukunuwenna’ -- Letter to the editor
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall -- Letter to the editor
Should monks be in the driving seat? -- Letter to the editor
A visionary politician who played the game as it should be played -- Appreciation
Kurunegala will fondly remember the ‘bodhisaththa dhosthara mahaththaya’ -- Appreciation
A generous-hearted nurse – and a flower that adorned our world -- Appreciation
The good doctor of Wellawatte will be greatly missed -- Appreciation
SLAF passage through the skies to take wing soon
A sterling silver and cupro-nickel salute to SLA
Experimenting with enamel and ‘garbage’
Keeping pace with the triumphal march of the Armed Forces
Diving into a thinker’s world
Punchi Theatre celebrates 7-year feat
Celebrating 50 years of service as Prioress, Carmelite Convent
Cancer Society conducts awareness programme
Pera Alumni Colombo Chapter holds family get-together
Please help Akindu to get digital hearing aid
Savouring fusion flavours
A platterful of quality entertainment
A treat for little ones at Westminster House
CRADA: Where Mannar’s alcoholics kick the habit

 

 
Reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page.
© Copyright 2009 | Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka. All Rights Reserved.| Site best viewed in IE ver 6.0 @ 1024 x 768 resolution