Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
Report on invasive plant species in Kiribati
Appendix 3. Invasive species by location
Table 3. Invasive species present on Butaritari
|
Scientific Name |
Common Names |
Family |
Habit |
|
| Amaranthus dubius | amaranth, spleen amaranth; te uekeueke, te mota (Kiribati) | Amaranthaceae | herb | |
| Asclepias curassavica | bastard ipecac, blood flower, bloodflower milkweed, butterfly weed, false ipecac, milkweed | Asclepiadaceae | herb | |
| *†Asystasia gangetica | Chinese violet, Philippine violet, coromandel | Acanthaceae | herb | |
| *Bambusa spp. | bamboo; te kaibaba (Kiribati) | Poaceae | tree | |
| Bidens pilosa | beggar’s tick, Spanish needle, cobbler's pegs | Asteraceae | herb | |
| Blechum pyramidatum | green shrimp plant | Acanthaceae | herb | |
| Bryophyllum pinnatum | life plant, air plant, resurrection plant, Canterbury bells, cathedral bells, Mexican love plant; te ang (Kiribati), te kabekau (Kiribati (Butaritari)) | Crassulaceae | succulent | |
| *Canna indica | canna, canna lily, Indian shot; te riti (Kiribati) | Cannaceae | herb | |
| Casuarina equisetifolia | casuarina, ironwood, Australian pine, she-oak, horsetail tree, beefwood; pientri (pinetree), bû ukam (bluegum on some atolls), nidil, nidõ (needle on some atolls), te burukam, te katurina (Kiribati) | Casuarinaceae | tree | |
| Catharanthus roseus | Cape periwinkle, Madagascar periwinkle, old-maid, rose periwinkle, rosy periwinkle) | Apocynaceae | herb | |
| Cenchrus echinatus | burgrass, sand-bur, southern sandbur, Mossman River grass (Australia); ; te anti, te kateketeke, te uteute ae kateketeke (Kiribati) | Poaceae | grass | |
| Chamaesyce hirta | asthma plant, garden spurge, pill-bearing spurge, hairy spurge | Euphorbiaceae | herb | |
| Chamaesyce hypericifolia | beach spurge, graceful spurge | Euphorbiaceae | herb | |
| Chamaesyce prostrata | creeping splurge, prostrate spurge, red caustic creeper; te tarai (Kiribati) | Euphorbiaceae | herb | |
| †Conyza bonariensis | flax-leaf fleabane, hairy fleabane, hairy horseweed, wavy-leaf fleabane | Asteraceae | herb | |
| Cyperus compressus | flat sedge | Cyperaceae | sedge | |
| Cyperus rotundus | nut grass, nutsedge, purple nutsedge, cocograss; te mumute (Kiribati) | Cyperaceae | sedge | |
| †Datura metel | datura, downy thorn-apple, Hindu datura, Hindu thorn-apple, hoary thorn-apple, horn-of-plenty, jimson-weed, purple thorn-apple; te uri ni tiana (Kiribati) | Solanaceae | herb | |
| Delonix regia | flame tree, flamboyant, poinciana; te kaitetua (Kiribati) | Fabaceae | tree | |
| Dentella repens | te uteute n Imatang (Kiribati (Butaritari)) | Rubiaceae | herb | |
| Eleocharis geniculata | te maunei | Cyperaceae | sedge | |
| Eleusine indica | goosegrass, wiregrass, goose foot, crow's foot, bullgrass; te uteute, te uteute na banabana (Kiribati) | Poaceae | grass | |
| +Eragrostis amabilis | Bug's egg grass, Japanese love grass, love grass (Fiji, Guam), female grass (Kiribati); te uteute n’ aine, te uteute te aine (Kiribati) | Poaceae | grass | |
| Euphorbia cyathophora | dwarf poinsettia, fire-on-the-mountain, Mexican fire plant, painted spurge, wild poinsettia; te kabekau (Kiribati) | Euphorbiaceae | herb | |
| Eustachys petraea | Poaceae | grass | ||
| *Gloriosa superba | climbing-lily, creeping-lily, flame-lily, glory-lily, gloriosa lily | Liliaceae | herb | |
| †Hemigraphis reptans | Acanthaceae | herb | ||
| Ipomoea violacea | moonflower; te ruku (Kiribati, native) | Convolvulaceae | vine | |
| †Kyllinga nemoralis | white kyllinga, whitehead spikesedge, whitewater sedge | Cyperaceae | sedge | |
| *Lantana camara | te kaibuaka, lantana | Verbenaceae | shrub | |
| Leucaena leucocephala | leucaena, wild tamarind, lead tree; ; te kaitetua (Kiribati) | Fabaceae | tree | |
| +Ludwigia octovalvis | willow primrose, false primrose, yellow willow herb; te mam (Kiribati) | Onagraceae | herb | |
| Oldenlandia corymbosa | Rubiaceae | herb | ||
| †Passiflora foetida | love-in-a-mist, wild passion fruit, passionflower, stinking passionflower; te biku (Kiribati) | Passifloraceae | vine | |
| †Pennisetum polystachion | mission grass, feathery pennisetum | Poaceae | grass | |
| Phyllanthus amarus | te kaimatu (Kiribati) | Euphorbiaceae | herb | |
| Physalis angulata | annual ground cherry, bladder cherry (Solomon Islands), wild cape gooseberry (Fiji); te baraki, te bin (Kiribati) | Solanaceae | herb | |
| †Physalis peruviana | Cape gooseberry, goldenberry, gooseberry-tomato, Peruvian ground-cherry, Peruvian-cherry | Solanaceae | shrub | |
| Pilea microphylla | artillery plant, gunpowder plant, pistol plant, rockweed | Urticaceae | herb | |
| Pluchea carolinensis | sour bush; te kaikare, te karei (Kiribati) | Asteraceae | shrub | |
| Pluchea indica | Indian fleabane, Indian pluchea, Indian camphorweed | Asteraceae | shrub | |
| †Portulaca oleracea | pigweed, purslane; te boi (Kirbati) | Portulacaceae | herb | |
| *Pseuderanthemum carruthersii | false eranthemum; te iaro (Kiribati) | Acanthaceae | shrub | |
| Ricinus communis | castor bean, castor-oil plant | Euphorbiaceae | shrub | |
| Russelia equisetiformis | coralplant, fountainplant; te kaibaun (Kiribati) | Scrophulariaceae | shrub | |
| *Sansevieria trifasciata | bowstring hemp, mother-in-law’s tongue | Agavaceae | herb | |
| Senna occidentalis | antbush, coffee senna; te katia (Kiribati) | Fabaceae | shrub | |
| Sida rhombifolia | arrow-leaf sida, Cuban jute, Paddy's lucerne, Queensland-hemp, teaweed | Malvaceae | shrub | |
| Spermacoce assurgens | buttonweed | Rubiaceae | herb | |
| Spermacoce ernstii | Rubiaceae | herb | ||
| Stachytarpheta cayennensis | blue rat's tail, dark-blue snakeweed, false verbena, nettleleaf velvetberry; te uti (Kiribati) | Verbenaceae | herb | |
| Stachytarpheta jamaicensis | bastard vervain, blue porterweed, Brazilian tea, Jamaica vervain, joee, light blue snakeweed; te uti (Kiribati) | Verbenaceae | herb | |
| Synedrella nodiflora | Cinderella weed (Australia), porter bush, pig grass (Solomon Islands, Vanuatu), synedrella; | Asteraceae | herb | |
| *Tecoma stans | yellow bells, yellow-elder, yellow trumpetbush; nei Karairai (Kiribati) | Bignoniaceae | small tree | |
| *Tradescantia spathacea | oyster plant, boat plant, boat lily, moses in a boat; te ruru ni (Kiribati) | Commelinaceae | herb | |
| Tridax procumbens | coat buttons, tridax daisy, wild daisy (Fiji, Guam) | Asteraceae | herb | |
| Turnera ulmifolia | yellow alder, sage rose, West Indian holly, ramgoat dashalong: te kakainea (Kiribati) | Turneraceae | shrub | |
| +Vernonia cinerea | ironweed, little ironweed, vernonia | Asteraceae | herb | |
| Wedelia trilobata | wedelia, trailing daisy, Singapore daisy, creeping ox-eye | Asteraceae | herb | |
*Cultivated or, if not seen, most likely in cultivation
+Native or early introduction
†Reported present by Fosberg et al. (1979)
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