Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - March 30, 2013
From: Clarkridge, AR
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives, Edible Plants, Trees
Title: Will corn fall victim to allelopathy from hackberry in Clarkridge AR
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Will my corn be inhibited by a nearby hackberry and if so would it help to cut it down? I understand that sometimes the soil is full of the chemicals the tree produces.ANSWER:
What you are probably referring to is allelopathy, which is the production of chemicals in some plants that inhibit growth in competing plants nearby. This article from Cornell University includes this statement:
"One of the most famous allelopathic plants is Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). The chemical responsible for the toxicity in Black Walnut is Juglone (5 hydroxy-1,4 napthoquinone) and is a respiration inhibitor. Solanaceous plants, such as tomato, pepper, and eggplant, are especially susceptible to Juglone. These plants, when exposed to the allelotoxin, exhibit symptoms such as wilting, chlorosis (foliar yellowing), and eventually death. Other plants may also exhibit varying degrees of susceptibility and some have no noticeable effects at all. Some plants that have been observed to be tolerant of Juglone include lima bean, beets, carrot, corn, cherry, black raspberry, catalpa, Virginia creeper, violets, and many others."
Black walnut isn't the only tree that produces juglone. This chemical is also secreted in smaller amounts by English walnut, hickory and pecan trees.Other trees with allelopathic properties include tree-of-heaven, sugar maple, hackberry, American sycamore, American elm, southern wax myrtle, cottonwood, black cherry, sassafras, red oak and black locust.
So, we know about Black Walnut not being a threat to your corn, now to find out if Celtis laevigata (Sugar hackberry), which is a member of the Ulmaceae (elm) family, could exibit allelopathy. We found this list of pests in corn:
- Spotted Cucumber Beetles
- Flea Beetles
- Cutworms
- Corn Rootworms
- Raccoons
Frankly, we think any of them would be worse than a nearby hackberry. Since the center of origin of Zea mays (corn) is believed to be native to Mexico or Central America, we don't know too much about it. If your (native) hackberry is shading the corn, you might want to think about it, but otherwise, we feel the corn is safe.
From the Image Gallery
More Non-Natives Questions
Is India Hawthorne a deer-resistant plant?
July 03, 2011 - Is India Hawthorne a deer resistant plant in Beaufort County South Carolina?
view the full question and answer
Non-native lavender for Texas in San Antonio
July 15, 2009 - I am looking for a lavender (English?) that will tolerate Tx summers, is evergreen, will tolerate some shade. I want to border a sidewalk with it. All help appreciated.
view the full question and answer
Bulb identification
December 10, 2009 - My pinecone ginger (Zingiber zerumbet), my white ginger (Hedychium coronarium) and my cana lilly roots were all accidently put in the same box and now I can't tell which is which. Is there some sort ...
view the full question and answer
Yellowing leaves on non-native globe willow in Las Cruces, NM
June 26, 2010 - I live in Las Cruces, NM. I have a good size globe willow tree. The leaves are turning yellow and brown dryness at tips and leaves are falling off. Does it just need water?
view the full question and answer
Decline in non-native crape myrtles
June 15, 2007 - I live in Round Rock and the ground is rocky about one foot beneath the surface. I have about 14 crape myrtles that have been doing very well for about 6 years now. Last year the leaves on 1 started...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |