This table lists invasive and potentially invasive plant species profiled by the Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk project (PIER) that occur on Rapa Nui (Easter) Island. It includes those of environmental concern (including those that are probably of threat only to islands with high elevations) as well as agricultural and ruderal weeds. Each species is linked by its scientific name to an individual write-up containing relevant information.
The information in this table is based on the supporting data and may not represent the current situation. Note also there may be discrepancies among data presented at geographic resolutions (e.g., island vs. island group vs. country-territory-state levels), depending upon the reliability of the data at each level.
Species are listed in alphabetic order. You can browse this list or use the "find" function on your web browser to search by scientific name.
Can't find it here? Check the list of synonyms for other names (the more common synonyms are included below) or search other lists and databases available on the Internet.
Stumped by botanical terms? Here are links to a brief glossary and a search engine for botanical terms.
| Scientific name (+Family) | Often-used other Latin names | Habit |
Primarily a threat
at high elevations? |
| Abutilon grandifolium (Malvaceae) | Sida grandifolia Willd. | shrub | No |
| Acacia farnesiana (Fabaceae) | Mimosa farnesiana L.; Vachellia farnesiana (L.) Wight & Arn. | shrub | No |
| Acacia karroo (Fabaceae) | Acacia dekindtiana A. Chev. | tree | No |
| Acacia mearnsii (Fabaceae) | tree | No | |
| Acacia melanoxylon (Fabaceae) | tree | No | |
| Acacia spp. (Fabaceae) | shrub/tree | No | |
| Ageratum conyzoides (Asteraceae) | herb | No | |
| Annona cherimola (Annonaceae) | shrub | Yes | |
| Anredera cordifolia (Basellaceae) | Boussingaultia baselloides H.B.K.; Boussingaultia cordifolia Ten. | vine | No |
| Arundo donax (Poaceae) | grass | No | |
| Asclepias curassavica (Asclepiadaceae) | herb | No | |
| Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae) | herb | No | |
| Bryophyllum pinnatum (Crassulaceae) | Kalanchoë pinnata Pers. | succulent | No |
| Carduus pycnocephalus (Asteraceae) | herb | Yes | |
| Catharanthus roseus (Apocynaceae) | Lochnera rosea (L.) Reichb. ex Steud.; Vinca rosea L. | herb | No |
| Cenchrus echinatus (Poaceae) | grass | No | |
| Chamaesyce hirta (Euphorbiaceae) | Euphorbia hirta L. | herb | No |
| Cirsium vulgare (Asteraceae) | herb | No | |
| Coffea arabica (Rubiaceae) | tree | No | |
| Commelina diffusa (Commelinaceae) | herb | No | |
| Conyza bonariensis (Asteraceae) | Erigeron bonariense L.; Erigeron floribundus Schultz-Bip. | herb | No |
| Cortaderia selloana (Poaceae) | grass | No | |
| Crotalaria grahamiana (Fabaceae) | shrub | No | |
| Crotalaria pallida (Fabaceae) | Crotalaria mucronata Desv.; Crotalaria striata DC. | shrub | No |
| Cupressus macrocarpa (Cupressaceae) | tree | No | |
| Cynodon dactylon (Poaceae) | grass | No | |
| Datura ferox (Solanaceae) | herb | No | |
| Eleusine indica (Poaceae) | grass | No | |
| Eriobotrya japonica (Rosaceae) | tree | Yes | |
| Eugenia uniflora (Myrtaceae) | shrub/tree | No | |
| Falcataria moluccana (Fabaceae) | Adenanthera falcataria L.; Albizia falcataria (L.) Fosb.; Albizia moluccana Miq.; Paraserianthes falcataria (L.) I. Nielsen | tree | No |
| Furcraea foetida (Agavaceae) | Agave gigantea D. Dietr.; Furcraea gigantea Vent. | succulent | No |
| Gossypium barbadense (Malvaceae) | Gossypium brasiliense sensu Okabe non Macf.; Gossypium peruvianum Cav. | shrub | No |
| Grevillea robusta (Proteaceae) | tree | No | |
| Indigofera suffruticosa (Fabaceae) | shrub | No | |
| Kyllinga brevifolia (Cyperaceae) | Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Endl. ex Hassk. | sedge | No |
| Lablab purpureus (Fabaceae) | Dolichos lablab L.; Dolichos purpureus L.; Lablab vulgaris Savi | vine | No |
| Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) | shrub | No | |
| Leucaena leucocephala (Fabaceae) | Leucaena glauca (L. ex Willd.) Benth. | tree | No |
| Macroptilium lathyroides (Fabaceae) | Phaseolus lathyroides L. | herb | No |
| Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae) | tree | No | |
| Melia azedarach (Meliaceae) | tree | No | |
| Melinis minutiflora (Poaceae) | Panicum melinus Trin.; Panicum minutiflora (Beauv.) Rasp. | grass | No |
| Melinis repens (Poaceae) | Rhynchelytrum repens (Willd.) C.E. Hubbard; Tricholaena repens (Willd.) Hitchc.; Tricholaena rosea Nees | grass | No |
| Mirabilis jalapa (Nyctaginaceae) | herb | No | |
| Nerium oleander (Apocynaceae) | Nerium indicum Mill. | shrub | No |
| Ocimum gratissimum (Lamiaceae) | herb | No | |
| Odontonema tubaeforme (Acanthaceae) | Justicia coccinea hort.; Justicia tubaeformis Bertol.; Odontonema strictum (Nees) O. Kuntze; Odontonema tubiforme (Bertol.) Kuntze; Thyrsacanthus strictus Nees | shrub | No |
| Oenothera stricta subsp. stricta (Onagraceae) | Oenothera striata Link | herb | Yes |
| Oxalis corniculata (Oxalidaceae) | Oxalis repens Thunb. | herb | No |
| Parkinsonia aculeata (Fabaceae) | tree | No | |
| Paspalum scrobiculatum (Poaceae) | Paspalum cartilagineum Presl.?; Paspalum orbiculare G. Forst. | grass | No |
| Passiflora maliformis (Passifloraceae) | vine | No | |
| Pennisetum clandestinum (Poaceae) | grass | No | |
| Pennisetum purpureum (Poaceae) | grass | No | |
| Persea americana (Lauraceae) | tree | No | |
| Physalis viscosa (Solanaceae) | Physalis curassavica L.; Physalis fuscomaculata Dunal | herb | No |
| Pinus caribaea (Pinaceae) | tree | No | |
| Pithecellobium dulce (Fabaceae) | Mimosa dulcis Roxb. | tree | No |
| Plantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae) | herb | No | |
| Portulaca oleracea (Portulacaceae) | herb | No | |
| Psidium cattleianum (Myrtaceae) | Psidium littorale Raddi var. longipes (O. Berg) Fosb. | tree | No |
| Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae) | tree | No | |
| Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae) | shrub | No | |
| Robinia pseudoacacia (Fabaceae) | tree | Yes | |
| Rumex acetosella (Polygonaceae) | Acetosella vulgaris Fourr. | herb | Yes |
| Sambucus mexicana (Caprifoliaceae) | Sambucus cerulea Raf.; Sambucus glauca Nutt. | tree | No |
| Sanchezia speciosa (Acanthaceae) | Sanchezia nobilis often misapplied; it is a separate species. | shrub | No |
| Sapindus saponaria (Sapindaceae) | tree | No | |
| Setaria palmifolia (Poaceae) | Panicum palmaefolium Koenig | grass | No |
| Solanum capsicoides (Solanaceae) | Solanum aculeatissimum Jacq. | herb | No |
| Sonchus asper (Asteraceae) | Sonchus oleraceus L. var. asper L. | herb | No |
| Sorghum halepense (Poaceae) | Andropogon halepensis (L.) Brot. | grass | No |
| Stachytarpheta cayennensis (Verbenaceae) | Stachytarpheta dichotoma (Ruiz & Pav.) Vahl.; Stachytarpheta urticaefolia (Salisb.) Sims; Stachytarpheta urticifolia (Salisb.) Sims | herb | No |
| Syzygium jambos (Myrtaceae) | Caryophyllus jambos (L.) Stokes; Eugenia jambos L. | tree | No |
| Taraxacum officinale (Asteraceae) | herb | No | |
| Tetragonia tetragonoides (Aizoaceae) | herb | No | |
| Thevetia peruviana (Apocynaceae) | Cascabela thevetia (L.) Lippold; Thevetia nerifolia Juss. ex Steud. | tree | No |
| Tithonia diversifolia (Asteraceae) | shrub | No | |
| Triumfetta semitriloba (Tiliaceae) | shrub | No | |
| Turnera ulmifolia (Turneraceae) | herb | No | |
| Verbascum virgatum (Scrophulariaceae) | herb | No | |
| Verbena litoralis (Verbenaceae) | herb | No | |
| Vitis vinifera (Vitaceae) | vine | Yes | |
| Waltheria indica (Sterculiaceae) | Waltheria americana L. | shrub | No |