Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
Report on invasive plant species in the Cook Islands
Appendix 1. Species by category
Table 1.
Species that are invasive elsewhere in similar ecosystems but are not known to
be present in the Cook Islands
Table 2. Introduced species that are
invasive or potentially invasive in the Cook Islands
Table 3. Species that are reported as
invasive or weedy elsewhere and are common, weedy or cultivated in the Cook
Islands
Table 4. Native species (or Polynesian
introductions) that can exhibit aggressive behavior
|
Scientific Name |
Common Names |
Family |
Habit |
| Acacia confusa | English: Formosa koa, Formosa acacia; Other: sosigi, shoshigi, sosugi, boiffuring (Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands–Chamorro); serepa, soschghi (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands–Carolinian); pilampwoia (Pohnpei); ianángi, yanangi (Palau) | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia longifolia | English: Sydney golden wattle, golden wattle, long-leaved wattle, long-leaved acacia, sallow wattle, coast wattle, golden rods | Fabaceae | tree |
| English: Australian blackwood, blackwood acacia | Fabaceae | tree | |
| 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 | |
| English: acacia | Fabaceae | shrubs/trees | |
| 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 |
| English: tree of heaven, varnishtree | Simaroubaceae | tree | |
| English: Chinese albizia, silktree; Other: ‘arapitia (Cook Islands); tameligi uliuli, tameligi ena‘ena (Samoa) | Fabaceae | tree | |
| Alstonia macrophylla | English: devil-tree | Apocynaceae | tree |
| Alternanthera philoxeroides | English: alligator weed | Amaranthaceae | herb |
| English: gamba grass, tambuki grass | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: bush beardgrass, bushy bluestem | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: broomsedge, yellow bluestem, whisky grass | Poaceae | grass | |
| Araujia sericifera | English: moth plant, moth catcher, white bladder flower | Asclepiadaceae | 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 |
| Arthrostemma ciliatum | English: arthrostemma, everblooming eavender | Melastomataceae | herb |
| English: Chinese violet, Philippine violet, coromandel | Acanthaceae | herb | |
| Asteraceae | herb | ||
| English: hophead, Philippine violet | Acanthaceae | shrub | |
| English: barleria, porcupine flower | Acanthaceae | shrub | |
| Blainvillea gayana | Asteraceae | herb | |
| Bocconia frutescens | English: bocconia, plume-poppy, tree 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 |
| Brillantaisia lamium | Acanthaceae | shrub | |
| English: dog tail; Other: huelo ‘ilio (Hawai’i) | Scrophulariaceae | shrub | |
| English: orange eye, butterfly bush, summer lilac | Scrophulariaceae | shrub | |
| English: butterfly bush, smoke bush | Scrophulariaceae | shrub | |
| English: cat’s claw, Mysore thorn, Mauritius thorn, wait-a-bit; French: bois sappan; Other: puakelekino (Hawai’i) | Fabaceae | shrub | |
| English: rattan; Other: rotan, bejuko-n-halumtano, rotan bejuro-n-halumtan (Guam); bangerenguis ra ngebard (Palau) | Arecaceae | shrub (palm) | |
| Calliandra calothyrsus | English: powderpuff red calliandra; Other: kaliana (Samoa) | Fabaceae | shrub |
| Calotropis procera | English: calotropis, rubber bush, apple of Sodom, mudar, madar, king’s crown, roostertree; French: arbre à soie | Asclepiadaceae | shrub/tree |
| Carpobrotus edulis | English: ice plant, pigface, hottentot fig | Aizoaceae | succulent |
| Castilla elastica | English: Panama rubber tree, Mexican rubber tree, uletree; Other: pulu mamoe (American Samoa) | Moraceae | tree |
| Casuarina glauca | English: swamp oak, saltmarsh ironwood, longleaf ironwood, gray sheoak | Casuarinaceae | tree |
| Cecropia peltata | English: trumpet tree; French: parasolier, faux-ricin, pisse-roux, bois cannon | Cecropiaceae | tree |
| English: burgrass, burr grass, sand-bur, slimbristle sandbur | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: buffelgrass, African foxtail grass, anjan grass; French: cenchrus cilié | Poaceae | grass | |
| Cestrum parqui | English: green cestrum, willow-leaved jessamine, Chilean cestrum, green poison-berry | Solanaceae | shrub |
| Chamaecrista nictitans | English: partridge pea, Japanese tea senna; Other: lauki (Hawai’i); kobo-cha, nemu-cha (Japan) | Fabaceae | shrub |
| English: plush-grass, radiate fingergrass | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: Siam weed, triffid weed, bitter bush, Jack in the bush; French: herbe du Laos; Other: kesengesil, masigsig (Guam); otuot (Chuuk), ngesngesil (Palau); wisolmatenrehwei (Pohnpei); mahsrihsrihk (Kosrae); hagonoy, agonoi, huluhagonoi (Philippines) | Asteraceae | herb | |
| English: coco plum, icaco; French: prunier coton, icacier, icaquier, icaque, prune colon; Other: apolo (Fiji) | Chrysobalanaceae | shrub | |
| English: satin leaf, wild star-apple, damson plum; Spanish: caimitillo | Sapotaceae | tree | |
| English: quinine tree, red cinchona; French: quinquina rouge; Spanish: cascarilla | Rubiaceae | tree | |
| English: padang cassia; French: cannelier de Malaisie | Lauraceae | tree | |
| Cirsium vulgare | English: spear thistle, Scotch thistle, bull thistle, black thistle, plume thistle; Other: pua kali (Hawai’i) | Asteraceae | herb |
| English: grape ivy | Vitaceae | liana | |
| English: juniper berry | Verbenaceae | tree | |
| English: fiddlewood; Other: masese (Fiji) | Verbenaceae | tree | |
| Clausena excavata | English: clausena | Rutaceae | tree |
| Clerodendrum japonicum | English: glorybower | Verbenaceae | shrub |
| English: pagoda plant, pagoda flower; Other: butcherechár, butecherechar (Palau); tukehn sousou (Pohnpei) | Verbenaceae | shrub | |
| English: bronze-leaved clerodendrum; Other: tirooj in belle (Marshall Islands); kleuang (Palau); tuhkehn palau (Pohnpei); bagauac (Philippines); losa, losa Fiti (American Samoa and Samoa) | Verbenaceae | shrub | |
| English: Koster’s curse, soap bush; French: canot-macaque; Other: kui, kúi (Palau); kauresinga, kaurasinga, roinisinga, ndraunisinga, mara na bulumakau, mbona na mbulamakau, vuti (Fiji); kaurasiga (from Ecoport, no source given) | Melastomataceae | shrub | |
| English: signature tree, autograph tree, copey, Scotch attorney, pitchapple | Guttiferae | tree | |
| English: ivy gourd, scarlet-fruited gourd; Other: kundru (Fiji); kiuri awia (Marshall Islands); aipikohr (Pohnpei) | Cucurbitaceae | vine | |
| English: sea mulberry, buttonwood, button mangrove | Combretaceae | shrub/tree | |
| English: laurel, Ecuador laurel, salmwood, Spanish elm; French: bois de Chypre, pardillo; Other: kotia (Samoa, Tonga) | Boraginaceae | tree | |
| English: black sage | Boraginaceae | shrub | |
| English: broad-leaved cordia | Boraginaceae | tree | |
| Cortaderia jubata | English: jubata grass, Andean pampas grass, purple pampas grass | Poaceae | grass |
| Corynocarpus laevigatus | English: New Zealand laurel, karakara nut | Corynocarpaceae | tree |
| Cryptostegia grandiflora | English: rubber vine, India rubber vine, Palay rubbervine; Other: liane de gatope (New Caledonia) | Asclepiadaceae | vine |
| Cupaniopsis anacardioides | English: carrotwood, tuckeroo | Sapindaceae | tree |
| Cyathea cooperi | English: Australian tree fern; French: fougère arborescente d’Australia | Cyatheaceae | fern |
| English: Indian dalbergia, Indian rosewood, sissoo, shisham; French: ébénier juane | Fabaceae | tree | |
| English: German ivy, Italian ivy, cape ivy | Asteraceae | vine | |
| virgatus | Other: anil, jureminha (Brazil) | Fabaceae | herb |
| Spanish: engorda-caballo, vara de arco, pie de paloma, vara larga, vara blanca, Juana de Arco, gutao, Juana Larga | Fabaceae | shrub | |
| Dichrostachys cinerea | English: aroma, Kalahari Christmas tree, Chinese lantern tree, sickle bush, marabou-thorn, marabú, Sen Domeng, Saint Domingue, acacia Saint Domingue | Fabaceae | shrub |
| Digitaria insularis | English: cottongrass, sourgrass, feather-top grass | Poaceae | grass |
| Dillenia suffruticosa | English: shrubby dillenia, shrubby simpoh | Dilleniaceae | shrub/tree |
| Echinochloa polystachya | English: aleman grass, carib grass, creeping rivergrass | Poaceae | grass |
| Elaeocarpus angustifolius | English: blue fig, blue marble tree, quandong (Australia); Other: sapatua, siapotua, siapatua (American Samoa and Samoa) | Elaeocarpaceae | tree |
| English: lofty fig, false banyan, council tree | Moraceae | tree | |
| English: banyan, Indian banyan, vada tree; French: figuier des pagodes; Other: pulu (Samoa) | Moraceae | tree | |
| English: Chinese banyan, Malayan banyan, Indian laurel; Other: lulk (Palau); nunu (Chamorro, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) | Moraceae | tree | |
| English: tibig | Moraceae | tree | |
| English: rusty-leaved fig, Port Jackson fig, littleleaf fig | Moraceae | tree | |
| Flindersia brayleyana | English: Queensland maple, silkwood | Rutaceae | tree |
| Funtumia elastica | English: African rubber tree, silkrubber; French: arbre à caoutchouc; Other: pulu vao (Samoa) | Apocynaceae | tree |
| Furcraea hexapetala | English: Cuban hemp, hemp; Other: cubuya (Galapagos Islands) | Agavaceae | succulent |
| English: phalsa | Tiliaceae | tree | |
| English: Senegal tea, temple plant | Asteraceae | herb | |
| English: logwood, bloodwood tree, campeachy wood, campeche | Fabaceae | tree | |
| English: harungana | Clusiaceae | tree | |
| Heliocarpus popayanensis | English: moho, white moho | Tiliaceae | tree |
| Heterocentron subtriplinervium | English: pearl flower | Melastomataceae | herb |
| Hevea brasiliensis | English: hevea, Brazilian rubber tree, Para rubber tree; French: arbre de Para, hévéa; Spanish: árbol del caucho, cauchotero de Pará, jebe, siringa; Other: rapa (Fiji) | Euphorbiaceae | tree |
| English: hiptage; French: liane de cerf | Malpighiaceae | shrub | |
| Hydrilla verticillata | English: hydrilla, Florida elodea, water thyme | Hydrocharitaceae | herb |
| Hymenachne amplexicaulis | English: hymenachne, trompetilla, West Indian marsh grass | Poaceae | grass |
| English: jaragua grass, thatching grass | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: hairy cat’s ear, gosmore | Asteraceae | herb | |
| Hyptis capitata | English: knobweed; Other: botones, batunes (Guam); t’aiegarabao, pathpath (Yap), maa uupo (French Polynesia) | Lamiaceae | herb |
| English: wild spikenard, chan; French: gros baume, hyptis à odeur; Other: mumutun (Guam) | Lamiaceae | herb | |
| English: blady grass, cogon grass, satintail; French: paille de dys, paillotte, impérata cylindrique, impérate; Other: gi, ngi (Fiji); alang-alang, lalang (Indonesia, Malaysia); kasoring (Palau) | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: paddle grass; Other: mah (Kosrae); reh padil (Pohnpei) | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: muraina grass, wrinkle duck-beak, saramatta grass; Other: tho muraina, co muraina (Fiji) | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: centipede grass, stalkleaf murainagrass, lucuntu grass; Other: waidoi grass (Fiji) | Poaceae | grass | |
| Jasminum fluminense | English: Brazilian jasmine | Oleaceae | vine |
| English: bellyache bush, cotton-leaved physic nut | Euphorbiaceae | shrub | |
| Juncus spp. | English: rush | Juncaceae | rush |
| Kunzea ericoides | English: tree manuka, tree manuba, kanuka (New Zealand), burgan, white teatree | Myrtaceae | tree |
| Kyllinga polyphylla | English: Navua sedge; Other: tuise tele, tuise fiti (Samoa) | Cyperaceae | sedge |
| English: duckweed; Other: fala‘o‘oto (Samoa) | Lemnaceae | herb | |
| English: lion’s tail, lion’s ear, Christmas candlestick; French: gros bouton, gros tête | Lamiaceae | herb | |
| Ligustrum spp. | English: privet | Oleaceae | shrubs/small trees |
| English: brush box, Brisbane box, vinegar tree | Myrtaceae | tree | |
| English: ludwigia, Peruvian primrose, water primrose | Onagraceae | shrub | |
| English: umbrella tree, musizi | Rhamnaceae | tree | |
| English: chandelier tree, showy melastome, showy medinilla, Malaysian orchid | Melastomataceae | shrub | |
| English: holdtight | Melastomataceae | shrub | |
| English: melaleuca, cajeput, paper bark tree, punk tree; Other: niaouli (New Caledonia) | Myrtaceae | tree | |
| English: Asian melastome, Indian rhododendron, Malabar melastome | Melastomataceae | tree | |
| English: fox-tongued melastoma, red melastome | Melastomataceae | shrub/tree | |
| Melinis minutiflora | English: melinis, molasses grass; French: mélinis, herbe molasses, herbe à miel; Other: puakatau (Tonga) | Poaceae | grass |
| English: melochia | Sterculiaceae | tree | |
| Melastomataceae | shrub | ||
| English: miconia, velvetleaf, purple plague, bush currant | Melastomataceae | tree | |
| English: meadow ricegrass, weeping grass | Poaceae | grass | |
| Mikania scandens | English: climbing hempweed, climbing hempvine | Asteraceae | vine |
| Mimosa pigra | English: catclaw mimosa, thorny sensitiveplant, giant mimosa, giant sensitive plant, black mimosa, zaraz, dormilona, bashful plant, amourette violet; French: amourette riviére | Fabaceae | shrub |
| English: montanoa, tree daisy, Anzac flower | Asteraceae | shrub | |
| Morella faya | English: fayatree, firetree, firebush | Myricaceae | tree |
| English: cow itch, velvet bean, Bengal bean, Mauritius bean; French: pois pouilleux, poil à gratter; Other: akangkang dangkulo (Guam) | Fabaceae | vine | |
| English: parrot’s feather, water feather, Brazilian water milfoil | Haloragidaceae | aquatic herb | |
| Neonotonia wightii | English: glycine; French: soja pérenne | Fabaceae | vine |
| kirkii | English: Micky Mouse plant, bird’s-eye bush | Ochnaceae | shrub/tree |
| English: ochna, Mickey-Mouse plant, bird’s-eye bush | Ochnaceae | shrub | |
| English: balsa, corkwood, down tree | Bombacaceae | tree | |
| Olea europaea | English: olive; Other: ‘oliwa, ‘oliwa haole (Hawai’i) | Oleaceae | tree |
| Melastomataceae | shrub | ||
| English: oxyspora, bristletips | Melastomataceae | shrub | |
| Paederia foetida | English: stink vine, skunk vine; Other: maile pilau, maile ka kahiki (Hawai’I). | Rubiaceae | vine |
| Panicum repens | English: torpedo grass, couch panicum, creeping panic; French: panic rampant, millet rampant; Other: wainaku grass (Hawai’i) | Poaceae | grass |
| Parkinsonia aculeata | English: parkinsonia, Jerusalem thorn, horse-bean, retama; French: arrêtenègre; Spanish: palo verde | Fabaceae | tree |
| Paspalum fimbriatum | English: fimbriate paspalum, winged paspalum, Panama paspalum, Panama crowngrass, Columbia grass | Poaceae | grass |
| English: wild passion fruit, wingstem passionflower | Passifloraceae | shrub | |
| English: blue passion flower | Passifloraceae | shrub | |
| English: scarlet passion flower, red passion flower, red granadilla | Passifloraceae | shrub | |
| Passiflora pulchella | English: two-lobed passion flower, wingleaf passionfruit | Passifloraceae | shrub |
| English: wild passionfruit, devil’s pumpkin, indigo berry, corky passionflower, corkstem passionflower; French: passiflore, grenadille; Spanish: uvilla (Galapagos Is.); Other: huehue haole (Hawai’i) | Passifloraceae | vine | |
| English: banana poka, banana passionfruit, bananadilla | Passifloraceae | vine | |
| English: paulownia, princess-tree, Chinese empress tree, karri-tree | Scrophulariaceae | tree | |
| English: kikuyu grass, kikuyo | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: mission grass, feathery pennisetum; French: queue de chat; Other: mechen katu (Chuuk), pwokso, dipw rais (Pohnpei), o tamata (Fiji) | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: philadelphus, evergreen mock orange, syringa | Saxifragaceae | shrub | |
| English: New Zealand flax, New Zealand hemp, bush flax | Agavaceae | herb | |
| Pimenta dioica | English: pimento, allspice; Other: sipaisi (Tonga) | Myrtaceae | tree |
| English: spiked pepper; Other: yaqona ni Onolulu, yanggona ni Onolulu (Fiji) | Piperaceae | tree | |
| English: eared pepper, anise piper, Veracruz pepper; Spanish: hoja santa, anisillo, hinojo, sabalero, hoja de la estrella; Other: Hawaiian sakau, false sakau, false kava (Pohnpei); ‘ava Tonga (Samoa), kava Hawai’i (Tonga) | Piperaceae | shrub | |
| English: Madras thorn, Manila tamarind, sweet inga; French: pois sucré; Other: kamachuri (Chuuk); camachili, kamachile, kamachiles, kamachili (Guam); kamachili, kamatire (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Chamorro), ghamasiligh (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands-Carolinian); kamatsiri, kamatsíri, opiuma (Palau): ‘opiuma (Hawai’i); kataiya (Fiji) | Fabaceae | tree | |
| English: pittosporum, Taiwanese cheesewood, mamalis | Pittosporaceae | shrub/tree | |
| English: tobira, Japanese pittosporum, Japanese cheesewood, mock orange, Australian laurel | Pittosporaceae | shrub/tree | |
| English: Victorian box, Victorian laurel, Australian cheesewood, mock orange, sweet pittosporum, orange pittosporum | Pittosporaceae | tree | |
| Pittosporum viridiflorum | English: cape pittosporum | Pittosporaceae | tree |
| Plectranthus amboinicus | English: Mexican mint, Spanish thyme, Cuban oregano; French: oreille; Other: rhaivoki, sage (Fiji); pasiole (Niue, Tonga); la‘au tai‘e, lau tai‘e, militini (Samoa); kaloni (Tonga) | Lamiaceae | herb |
| English: praxelis | Asteraceae | herb | |
| English: mesquite, algaroba; Spanish: algarrobo | Fabaceae | tree | |
| Psidium guineense | English: Brazilian guava, Guinea guava; French: goyavier du Brésil | Myrtaceae | shrub/tree |
| Pueraria montana var. lobata | English: kudzu, Japanese arrowroot; Other: deday (Yap); aka (American Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Wallis and Futuna and Futuna and Futuna); a’a (American Samoa and Samoa); yaka , wa yaka, nggariaka (Fiji); akataha, fue’aepuaka (Tonga); acha, nepalem | Fabaceae | vine |
| English: rose myrtle, downy myrtle, Isenberg bush; French: myrte-groseille, feijoa | Myrtaceae | shrub | |
| Rhynchospora caduca | Cyperaceae | herb | |
| English: baby pepper, bloodberry, coral berry, rouge plant; Other: polo (Tonga) | Phytolaccaceae | herb | |
| English: giant bramble | Rosaceae | shrub | |
| Rubus moluccanus | English: Molucca raspberry, broad leafed bramble, Molucca bramble, eelkek; French: piquant lou-lou (Mauritius); Other: kohkihl (Kosrae); soni, wa sori, wa ngandrongandro, wa votovotoa, (Fiji) | Rosaceae | shrub |
| Rubus rosifolius | English: roseleaf raspberry, thimbleberry, Mauritius raspberry; French: framboisier; Other: ola’a, ‘akala, akalakala (Hawai’i) | Rosaceae | shrub |
| English: raspberries, blackberries, brambles | Rosaceae | shrub | |
| Ruellia brevifolia | Acanthaceae | herb | |
| English: wild cane, false sugarcane; French: canne à sucre fourragère, canne sauvage; Other: banga ruchel (Palau); ac (Kosrae); tebu salah; ahlek, ahlec, (Pohnpei); to aheo (French Polynesia) | Poaceae | grass | |
| Sacciolepis indica | English: glenwood grass | Poaceae | grass |
| Salvinia molesta | English: salvinia, water fern, kariba weed, African payal | Salviniaceae | fern |
| English: dwarf brassia, dwarf schefflera, Hawaiian elf schefflera | Araliaceae | shrub | |
| English: pepper tree, California pepper tree, Peruvian peppertree, pepperina; French: faux poivrier, molée des jardins, poivrier d’Amérique | Anacardiaceae | tree | |
| English: Christmas-berry, Brazilian pepper, Brazilian holly, Florida holly; French: faux poivrier, poivre du Brésil, poivre rose; Other: warui (Fiji); wilelaiki (Hawai’i), naniohilo (Hawai’i (Moloka‘i)) | Anacardiaceae | tree | |
| English: little bluestem, bush beardgrass | Poaceae | grass | |
| English: fireweed | Asteraceae | herb | |
| English: habucha, coffeeweed, sicklepod | Fabaceae | herb | |
| English: buttercup bush, yellow shower, laburnum; Other: mosimosi, naseni karakarawa, winivinikau (Fiji); kolomona, kalamona (Hawai’i) | Fabaceae | shrub/tree | |
| Sesbania punicea | English: red sesbania, coffee weed, rattle-pod, sesban, red seine bean, Brazil rattlebox, coffee of the coast, tame acacia, false poinciana, black acacia, purple sesbane | Fabaceae | shrub |
| English: potato creeper, Brazilian nightshade | Solanaceae | vine | |
| English: wetland nightshade, aquatic soda apple | Solanaceae | aquatic herb | |
| English: prickly solanum, devil’s fig, turkeyberry, terongan; French: fausse aubergine, aubergine sauvage épineuse; Other: piko (Vanuatu); tisaipale (Tonga); kausoni, soni, kauvoto-votua, kaisurisuri, katai, bhankatiya, soni ni vavalagi (Fiji), lapati (Samoa) | Solanaceae | shrub | |
| English: tropical soda apple | Solanaceae | herb? | |
| English: Johnson grass, Aleppo grass, Aleppo milletgrass; French: sorgho d’ Alep, sorgo de Alepo, herbe de Cuba; Other: kola (Tonga); gumai (Russia); zacate Johnson, grama China, cañuela, Don Carlos | Poaceae | grass | |
| Sporobolus elongatus | English: wiregrass, rat-tail dropseed | Poaceae | grass |
| Syncarpia glomulifera | English: turpentine tree, lustre wood | Myrtaceae | tree |
| Terminalia myriocarpa | English: hollock, jhalna | Combretaceae | tree |
| English: Florida clover ash | Melastomataceae | shrub/tree | |
| Tibouchina herbacea | English: glorybush, cane ti, tibouchina | Melastomataceae | herb |
| Timonius timon | English: liberal (Palau); Other: sakosia (from Ecoport, no source given) | Rubiaceae | tree |
| Triadica sebifera | English: Chinese tallow tree, popcorn tree, vegetable tallow, white wax berry, chicken tree, Florida aspen; French: arbre à suif, boiré | Euphorbiaceae | tree |
| English: puncture vine, goat head; French: tribule terrestre | Zygophyllaceae | herb | |
| English: limeberry, lemon China; Other: limon-China, lemon de china, limoncito (Guam) | Rutaceae | shrub | |
| English: long john, long jack | Polygonaceae | tree | |
| English: wideleaf gamagrass | Poaceae | grass | |
| Turbina corymbosa | English: turbina, Christmas vine, ololiuqui | Convolvulaceae | vine |
| English: yellow alder, sage rose, West Indian holly, ramgoat dashalong; Other: nõr in jiboñ (Marshall Islands) | Turneraceae | herb | |
| Ulex europaeus | English: gorse, furze, whin; French: ajonc, bois jonc, jonc marin, vigneau | Fabaceae | shrub |
| English: small-leaved vitex, smallflower chastetree; Other: lagundi (Guam); molauin, molave (Philippines); molave (Hawai’i) | Verbenaceae | shrub/tree | |
| English: weeping lilly pilly, weeping myrtle | Myrtaceae | tree | |
| English: calla lily, arum lily | Araceae | herb | |
| English: Indian jujube, Chinese date, Chinee apple; Other: manzanas, manzanita, jujube (Guam); baer, bahir, baher (Fiji) | Rhamnaceae | tree |
NOTE: The common names in this and the following tables are from the PIER data base and web site and include names in use at various locations throughout the Pacific. Additional information can be found in the individual species summaries at the PIER web site or on the PIER CD.
Table 2. Introduced species that are invasive or potentially invasive in the Cook Islands
|
Scientific Name |
Common Names |
Family |
Habit |
| Acacia aulacocarpa | English: brown salwood, brush ironbark wattle, hickory wattle | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia crassicarpa | English: northern wattle, Papua New Guinea red wattle | Fabaceae | tree |
| English: Ellington curse, klu, sweet acacia; French: acacia jaune, cassie; Other: titima (Cook Islands); vaivai vaka-vatona, vaivai vakavotona, ban baburi, oki (Fiji); aroma, popinac, kandaroma (Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands); kolu (Hawai’i); te kaibakoa (Kiribati); debena (Nauru) | Fabaceae | shrub | |
| Acacia glauca | redwood | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia mangium | English: mangium, brown salwood, black wattle, hickory wattle; Other: ākasia (Cook Islands); tuhkehn pwelmwahu (Pohnpei) | Fabaceae | tree |
| Adenanthera pavonina | English: coral bean tree, red sandalwood tree, red bead tree, lopa, bead tree, false wiliwili, peacock flower-fence, Polynesian peanut; French: bois de condori; Other: lopa (American Samoa, Fench Polynesia, Samoa and Tonga); mata kōviriviri (Cook Islands); kōviriviri, tavara (Cook Islands (Mangaia)); pitipiti‘ō (Cook Islands (‘Atiu)); lera, lere ndamu, vaivai, vaivai ni vavalangi (Fiji), pomea (Fiji, Niue), la‘au paina, pitipitio (French Polynesia); colales, culalis, kolales, kulales, kulalis (Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands); hua‘ula‘ula (Hawai’i); (metekam, metkam, metkem, mwetkwem (Kosrae); telengtúngd, telentundalel (Palau); kaikes (Pohnpei)</ |