Panama Ivy Threatens Navigation Through the Canal

In a dramatic twist of events, the outbreak of Panama Ivy brings to memory The Kudzu Invasion of Everglades that hit the newswire 6 years ago. Abundance of CO2 and mutagens in the environment produced another, even more aggressive new plant species, a thorny vine with astounding ability to grow fast, anywhere and take over wilderness, farmland and even population centers.

Researchers believe that Panama Ivy is not directly related to either poison ivy or kudzu, but comes from an obscure family of plants so far only found in the Amazon basin and one place in Nicaragua. The mutations that gave the super-weed its superpowers are “just a freak accident of nature”. In addition to thorns, the foliage secretes toxins that produce nausea and skin blisters and with enough exposure can become fatal. Panama Ivy, as the plant came to be known, is immune to all industrial herbicides. Attempts to fight it with controlled burns failed, as the foliage ignites very quickly – it contains volatile compounds – but regrows almost as fast, sometimes in just a few days, with first sprouts coming up in a matter of hours. One possible reason, researchers believe, is that stems and roots have evolved to withstand exposure to high temperatures. So far, mechanical extermination remains as the only effective method to control the spread, but even with heavy machinery this is a difficult fight. Hazmat suits are a must and the vine’s flowers are suspected to be responsible for several cases of severe respiratory symptoms in workers. 

Extreme growth speed is puzzling, but according to plant bio-science group from Heidelberg University, a symbiosis with a super-fungus capable of extracting minerals from man-made materials such as concrete, gypsum board, asphalt and brick to support partner organism is a very likely possibility. This would certainly explain how Panama Ivy was able to conquer several villages in Panama since its discovery last year. Smaller villages lacked resources to fight the invasive plant and were abandoned, entire populations leaving for large cities.

Today’s threat brings even more attention to the green terror that is Panama Ivy, as several outbreak regions reached the shores of Panama Canal. Experts say that if the rate of growth and sheer biomass are anything to go by, the navigation through the Canal may be severely impaired within weeks.