Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
Report on invasive plant species in American Samoa
Appendix 2
able 1. Species that are invasive elsewhere in similar ecosystems but are not known to be present in American Samoa| Scientific Name | Common Names | Family | Habit |
| Acacia confusa | English: Formosa koa, Formosa acacia; Other: sosigi, shoshigi, sosugi, boiffuring (Guam and CNMI–Chamorro); serepa, soschghi (CNMI–Carolinian); pilampwoia (Pohnpei); ianángi, yanangi (Palau) | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia farnesiana | English: Ellington curse, klu, sweet acacia; French: cassie; Other: aroma, popinac, kandaroma (Guam, CNMI); kolu (Hawai'i); vaivai vaka-vatona, vaivai vakavotona, ban baburi, oki (Fiji); te kaibakoa (Kiribati); debena (Nauru) | Fabaceae | shrub |
| Acacia longifolia | English: Sydney golden wattle, golden wattle, long-leaved wattle, long-leaved acacia, sallow wattle, coast wattle, golden rods | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia mearnsii | English: black wattle; French: acacia noir | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia melanoxylon | English: Australian blackwood, blackwood acacia | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia nilotica | English: prickly acacia, black thorn, Egyptian thorn, Nile acacia, algaroba, babul, gum arabic tree; French: acacia à gomme; Spanish: algarrobo; Other: tiare (New Caledonia) | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia spp. | English: acacia | Fabaceae | shrubs/trees |
| Agave sisalana | English: sisal, sisal hemp; Other: ndali, natali (Fiji); Other: ndali, natali (Fiji), malina (Hawai'i) | Agavaceae | herb |
| Ageratina riparia | English: spreading mistflower, creeping croftonweed, river eupatorium; Other: hamakua pamakani (Hawai‘i) | Asteraceae | shrub |
| Ailanthus altissima | English: tree of heaven, varnishtree | Simaroubaceae | tree |
| Albizia chinensis | English: Chinese albizia, silktree | Fabaceae | tree |
| Albizia lebbeck | English: siris-tree, rain tree, East Indian walnut, kokko, woman's-tongue tree, soros-tree, raom tree ; French: bois noir; Other: trongkon-mames, tronkon mames, mamis (Guam); kalaskas, trongkon-kalaskas (CNMI–Chamorro); schepil kalaskas (CNMI–Carolinian); ukall ra ngebard (Palau); gumorningabchey; ngumorrningobchey (Yap); 'ohai (Hawai'i); vaivai, vaivai ni vavalangi, vaivai ni vavalagi (Fiji); tamaligi pa’epa’e (Samoa); kasia (Tonga) | Fabaceae | tree |
| Alpinia purpurata | English: red ginger; Other: thevunga (Fiji); ‘awapuhi ‘ula‘ula (Hawai‘i); teuila (Samoa); tevunga (Tonga) | Zingiberaceae | herb |
| Alstonia macrophylla | English: devil-tree | Apocynaceae | tree |
| Alternanthera philoxeroides | English: alligator weed | Amaranthaceae | herb |
| Andropogon gayanus | English: gamba grass, tambuki grass | Poaceae | grass |
| Andropogon glomeratus | English: bush beardgrass, bushy bluestem | Poaceae | grass |
| Andropogon virginicus | English: broomsedge, yellow bluestem, whisky grass | Poaceae | grass |
| Annona glabra | English: pond apple, alligator apple, bullock's heart, cherimoyer; French: annone des marais, corossolier des marais; Other: uto ni mbulumakau, uto ni bulumakau, kaitambo, kaitambu (Fiji) | Annonaceae | tree |
| Annona muricata | English: soursop, prickly custard apple; French: corossolier, cacheimantier épineux, cachiman épineux, corossol épineux; Other: saasaf, sasaf (Chuuk); tapotapo papaa (French Polynesia); laguana, laguaná, laguanaha, laguanaba, labuanaha (Guam); sosap (Kosrae); jojaab (Marshall Islands); syasyap (Northern Mariana Islands), talapo fotofoto (Niue), sausab (Palau); sei, sae, truka shai (Pohnpei); sasalapa (Samoa); ‘apele ‘initia (Tonga); sausau (Yap) | Annonaceae | tree |
| Annona squamosa | English: sugar apple, sweetsop, custard apple, sugar apple; French: annone écailleuse, pomme-canelle; Other: atis, ates (Guam); ngel ra ngebard (Palau), ‘apele papalangi, ‘apele Tonga (Tonga), tapotapo (French Polynesia) | Annonaceae | tree |
| Anredera cordifolia | English: Madeira vine, mignonette vine, lamb's tails; Other: ‘uala hupe (Hawai‘i); filikafa (Niue) | Basellaceae | vine |
| Anthoxanthum odoratum | English: sweet vernalgrass, spring grass | Poaceae | grass |
| Araujia sericifera | English: moth plant, moth catcher, white bladder flower | Asclepiadaceae | shrub |
| Ardisia crenata | English: hen's eyes, Hilo holly, coral berry, Australian holly, scratchthroat; French: arbre à noël | Myrsinaceae | shrub |
| Ardisia elliptica | English: shoebutton ardisia; Other: ati popa'a, atiu (French Polynesia) | Myrsinaceae | shrub |
| Argyreia nervosa | English: elephant creeper, Hawaiian baby woodrose , silver morning glory, woolly morning glory; French: coup d'air, liane a minguet, liane d' argent | Convolvulaceae | vine |
| Aristolochia littoralis | English: Dutchman's pipe, calico flower; Other: fue paipa holani (Tonga) | Aristolochiaceae | vine |
| Arthrostemma ciliatum | English: everblooming eavender | Melastomataceae | herb |
| Arundo donax | English: giant reed, Spanish reed, wild cane; French: canne de Provence, grand roseau; Other: ngasau ni vavalangi (Fiji); fiso papalagi (Samoa); kaho folalahi (Tonga) | Poaceae | grass |
| Asparagus densiflorus | English: asparagus fern, sprengeri fern, smilax, regal fern | Liliaceae | herb |
| Asparagus setaceus | English: ornamental asparagus, climbing asparagus fern, plumosa; French: asperge plumeuse; Other: taupo ‘ou (Tonga) | Liliaceae | vine |
| Austroeupatorium inulaefolium | Asteraceae | herb | |
| Axonopus compressus | English: blanket grass, carpetgrass; Other: kambutu ni vavalangi (Fiji), vaolima (Samoa) | Poaceae | grass |
| Azolla pinnata | English: mosquito fern, ferny azolla, water velvet | Azollaceae | fern |
| Barleria lupulina | English: hophead, Philippine violet | Acanthaceae | shrub |
| Barleria prionitis | English: barleria, porcupine flower | Acanthaceae | shrub |
| Bauhinia variegata | English: orchid tree; mountain ebony, butterfly tree (Fiji); French: bois de boeuf, sabot boeuf, arbre de Saint-Thomas | Fabaceae | tree |
| Blainvillea gayana | Asteraceae | herb | |
| Bocconia frutescens | English: bocconia, plume-poppy, tree celandine, parrotweed | Papaveraceae | shrub |
| Boerhavia coccinea | English: boerhavia, hog weed, hog feed, red spiderling, wineflower, tar vine; Other: mata pavo, patagon | Nyctaginaceae | herb |
| Breynia disticha | English: snowbush, snowbush breynia, sweetpea bush, foliage-flower | Euphorbiaceae | shrub |
| Brillantaisia lamium | Acanthaceae | shrub | |
| Bryophyllum delagoense | English: chandelier plant | Crassulaceae | herb |
| Buddleja asiatica | English: dog tail; Other: huelo ‘ilio (Hawai'i) | Scrophulariaceae | shrub |
| Buddleja davidii | English: orange eye, butterfly bush, summer lilac | Scrophulariaceae | shrub |
| Buddleja madagascariensis | English: butterfly bush, smoke bush | Scrophulariaceae | shrub |
| Caesalpinia decapetala | English: cats claw, Mysore thorn, Mauritius thorn, wait-a-bit; French: bois sappan; Other: puakelekino (Hawai'i) | Fabaceae | shrub |
| Calamus spp. | English: rattan; Other: rotan, bejuko-n-halumtano, rotan bejuro-n-halumtan (Guam); bangerenguis ra ngebard (Palau) | Arecaceae | shrub (palm) |
| Calliandra haematocephala | English: red powder puff; French: pompon | Fabaceae | shrub |
| Calliandra surinamensis | English: Surinamese stickpea | Fabaceae | tree |
| Callisia fragrans | English: fragrant inch plant, basketplant, spironema | Commelinaceae | herb |
| Calotropis procera | English: calotropis, rubber bush, apple of Sodom, mudar, madar, king’s crown, roostertree; French: arbre à soie | Asclepiadaceae | shrub/tree |
| Cardiospermum grandiflorum | English: balloon vine; heart seed | Sapindaceae | vine |
| 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) | Sapindaceae | vine |
| Carpobrotus edulis | English: ice plant, pigface, hottentot fig | Aizoaceae | succulent |
| Cecropia obtusifolia | English: trumpet tree, guarumo | Cecropiaceae | tree |
| Cecropia peltata | English: trumpet tree; French: parasolier, faux-ricin, pisse-roux, bois cannon | Cecropiaceae | tree |
| Cenchrus brownii | English: burgrass, burr grass, sand-bur, slimbristle sandbur | Poaceae | grass |
| Cenchrus ciliaris |