Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)


Report on invasive plant species in the Cook Islands


Appendix 11. Invasive and potentially invasive species present on other southern Cook Islands but not on Rarotonga

Scientific Name

Common Names

Present on:

Acacia aulacocarpa English: brown salwood, brush ironbark wattle, hickory wattle Mangaia
Acacia crassicarpa English: northern wattle, Papua New Guinea red wattle ‘Atiu, Mangaia, Ma'uke
Acacia glauca redwood Ma'uke
Anacardium occidentale English: cashew, cashew nut; French: anacardier, pomme de cojou, acajou a pommes, pommier d’acajou; Other: kātū (Cook Islands); kasoi (Guam); ‘apu ‘initia (Samoa); ‘apu, kesiu (Tonga) ‘Atiu, Mangaia, Ma'uke
Aristolochia littoralis English: Dutchman's pipe, calico flower; Other: mokorā (Cook Islands); fue paipa holani (Tonga) Mangaia
Bothriochloa bladhii English: blue grass, Australian beardgrass, Caucasian bluestem; Other: desum (Palau); latoka grass, thamboni grass (Fiji) Aitutaki
Callisia fragrans English: fragrant inch plant, basketplant, spironema Aitutaki, 'Atiu
Cardiospermum halicacabum English: balloon vine, heart pea, love-in-a-puff; Other: wa niu, vo niu (Fiji); vinivinio (French Polynesia), poniu, haleakai‘a, ‘inalua, pohuehue uka (Hawai'i) Miti'aro
Crotalaria micans English: crotalaria; Other: pine kotalelia, pile (Niue) Mangaia, Ma'uke
Desmodium tortuosum English: Florida beggarweed, Spanish clover, dixie ticktrefoil Mangaia
Mimosa diplotricha English: giant sensitive plant, nila grass; French: grande sensitive, sensitive gèante; Other: pikika‘a papa‘ā (Cook Islands (Aitutaki)); vao fefe palagi (American Samoa and Samoa), wa ngandrongandro levu, wa ngandrongandro ni wa ngalelevu, co gadrogadro (Fiji); mechiuaiuu (Palau); limemeihr laud (Pohnpei); singbiguin sasa (Saipan); la'au fefe tele, la'au fefe palagi (Samoa); Aitutaki

Passiflora laurifolia

English: yellow granadilla, belle apple, yellow water-lemon; French: pomme-liane, pomme d'or; Other: pasio vao (Samoa); vaine 'ae kuma (Tonga) Ma‘uke

Passiflora ligularis

English: sweet granadilla, yellow passionfruit; French: granadille, grenadille douce, barbadine; French: granadille, grenadille douce, barbadine; Other: lemi wai, lani wai, lemona (Hawai‘i) Ma'uke
Phyllostachys bissetii English: running bamboo Mangaia

Senna siamea

English: cassod tree, kassod tree, Siamese cassia, pheasantwood, Thailand shower; French: bois perdrix; Other: kasia (Tonga) ‘Atiu
Senna tora English: foetid cassia, stinking cassia, Java-bean, sickle senna, sicklepod, Chinese senna, peanut weed, sickle senna; French: cassier sauvage, pois puant, séné; Other: vao pinati (American Samoa and Samoa); kaumoce, kaumothe, pini, tarota (Fiji); mumutun admelon, mumutun palaoan, amot-tumaga carabao (Guam), te’epulu, tengafefeka (Tonga) Ma'uke
Stylosanthes guianensis English: stylo, Brazilian lucerne, tropical lucerne, Nigerian stylo; Other: mauku puakatoro (Cook Islands (‘Atiu)) ‘Atiu, Ma'uke
Tephrosia candida English: white tephrosia, white hoary-pea; French indigo sauvage, indigo blanc Aitutaki, 'Atiu, Mangaia, Ma'uke, Miti'aro
Toona ciliata English: Australian red cedar, toon, surian, Indian mahogany; Other: wood pikake (Hawai‘i); tuna (Samoa);, sita kula (Tonga) Mangaia
Trema orientalis English: charcoal tree, gunpowder tree; Other: agaunai, banahl, tal amama (CNMI); elodechoel (Palau); uanin (Yap); ndrou, ndroundrou, ndrikanaithembe (Fiji); aere (French Polynesia), mangele, manele, magele (Niue, Samoa, Tonga) Mangaia
Urochloa subquadripara English: brachiaria, green summer grass, tropical signalgrass, cori grass Ma'uke, Miti'aro

Need more info? Have questions? Comments? Information to contribute? Contact PIER!


[Return to Cook Islands report] [ Return to PIER homepage ]


This page new 10 November 2002.