Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

Report on invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta

Appendix 1.

Table 2. Species that are known to be invasive and are of particular concern on Niue

Scientific Name

Common Names (abridged)

Family

Habit

Sykes (1970)

Whistler (1988)

Whistler (1997)

Space & Flynn (2000)

This survey (2004)
Adenanthera pavonina Niuean: pomea; English: coral bean tree, red sandalwood tree, red bead tree, lopa, bead tree, false wiliwili, peacock flower-fence, Polynesian peanut; Other: lopa (American Samoa, French Polynesia, Samoa and Tonga); mata kōviriviri (Cook Islands); kōviriviri, tavara (Cook Islands (Mangaia)); pitipiti‘ō (Cook Islands ('Atiu)); ‘au paina, pitipitio (French Polynesia); hua‘ula‘ula (Hawai‘i) Fabaceae tree

X

 

X

X

X
Alternanthera brasiliana English: Brazilian joyweed, Joseph’s coat Amaranthaceae herb

 

 

 

 

X
Anacardium occidentale English: cashew, cashew nut; Other: kātū (Cook Islands); ‘apu ‘initia (Samoa); ‘apu, kesiu (Tonga) Anacardiaceae tree

X

 

 

X

X
Asparagus setaceus English: ornamental asparagus, climbing asparagus fern, plumosa; Other: remu (Cook Islands); taupo ‘ou (Tonga) Liliaceae vine

 

 

 

X

X
Bryophyllum pinnatum Niuean: tupu he lau, tupu noa; English: life plant, air plant, resurrection plant, Canterbury bells, cathedral bells, Mexican love plant; Other: ngāngā‘ere toka (Cook Islands); ‘oliwa ku kahakai (Hawai'i); pagi (Samoa); pipi vao (Tonga) Crassulaceae succulent

X

X

X

X

X
Chamaecrista nictitans English: partridge pea, Japanese tea senna; Other: lauki (Hawai‘i) Fabaceae shrub

X

X

X

X

X
Delonix regia Niuean: pinē; English: flame tree, flamboyant, poinciana; Other: pātai (Cook Islands (Rarotonga, Mangaia, Aitutaki, Penrhyn, Manihiki, Rakahanga)); raākau taāmarumaru, taāmarumaru, (Cook Islands (Atiu)); pukakai (Cook Islands (Aitutaki)); puū piī (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke)); marumaru (Cook Islands (Miti‘aro)); pakai, puke (Tahiti, French Polynesia); ‘ohai ‘ula (Hawai‘i); tamaligi (Samoa); ‘ohai (Tonga); fua tausaga (Tuvalu) Fabaceae tree

X

 

 

X

X
Dissotis rotundifolia English: dissotis, Spanish shawl, pink lady Melastomataceae herb

 

 

 

X 
Falcataria moluccana English: Molucca albizia; Other: tamaligi palagi (American Samoa); ‘ārapitia (Cook Islands); tamaligi paepae (Samoa) Fabaceae tree

X

 

 

X

X
Hemigraphis alternata English: metal leaf; red ivy, cemetery plant (Fiji); Other: suipi (American Samoa and Samoa) Acanthaceae herb

X

X

 

X

X
Hylocereus undatus English: night-blooming cereus, strawberry pear, red pitaya, dragon fruit, pitahaya; Other: paniniokapunahou, papipi pua (Hawai'i) Cactaceae succulent

X

 

 

X

X
Hyptis suaveolens English: stinking Roger, wild spikenard, chan Lamiaceae herb

 

 

 

 

X
Justicia betonica English: white shrimp plant, squirrel's tail Acanthaceae herb

 

 

 

 

X
Lantana camara English: lantana; Other: latana (American Samoa and Samoa); tātarāmoa papa‘ā (Cook Islands); tātarāmoa (Cook Islands, French Polynesia); tarataramoa, taratara hamoa (French Polynesia); latora moa (French Polynesia (Tahiti)); lakana, la‘au kalakala, lanakana (Ni‘ihau), mikinolia hihiu, mikinolia hohono, mikinolia kuku (Hawai‘i); talatala, talatala talmoa (Tonga) Verbenaceae shrub

X

X

X

X

X
Leucaena leucocephala Niuean: pepe; English: leucaena, wild tamarind, lead tree; Other: fua pepe (American Samoa and Samoa); nītō, mara‘inu (Cook Islands); atiku (French Polynesia (Marquesas)); koa haole, lili-koa, ekoa (Hawai‘i); pepe (Samoa); lusina (Samoa); siale mohemohe (Tonga) Fabaceae tree

X

X

X

X

X
Macfadyena unguis-cati English: cat's-claw climber Bignoniaceae vine

 

 

 

X

X
Melia azedarach Niuean: sili; English: Chinaberry, pride-of-India, indian lilac, Persian lilac, white cedar, margosa tree, tira; Other: tīra (Cook Islands); ‘inia, ‘ilinia (Hawai‘i); sita (Tonga) Meliaceae tree

X

 

 

X

X
Melinis minutiflora English: melinis, molasses grass; Other: puakatau (Tonga) Poaceae grass

X

X

 

X

X
Merremia tuberosa English: wood rose, Spanish arborvine, yellow morning-glory; Other: pilikai (Hawai‘i) Convolvulaceae vine

X

 

 

X

X
Mikania micrantha Niuean: fue saina; English: mile-a-minute weed, Chinese creeper, American rope, bittervine; Other: fue saina (American Samoa, Samoa); pōkutekute (Cook Islands (‘Atiu)) Asteraceae vine

X

X

X

X

X
Mimosa pudica  English: sensitive plant; Niuean: memege Fabaceae herb

X

X

X

X

X
Panicum maximum English: Guinea grass, green panic, buffalograss; Other: vao kini (American Samoa and Samoa); tinikarāti (Cook Islands); talapi? (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke); saafa (Tonga) Poaceae grass

X

X

 

X

X
Passiflora foetida Niuean: vine vao; English: love-in-a-mist, wild passion fruit, passionflower, stinking passionflower; Other: pasio vao (American Samoa and Samoa); pohapoha (Hawai‘i); lani wai (Hawai‘i (Ni‘ihau)); vaine ‘initia (Tonga) Passifloraceae vine

 

X

X

X

X
Pennisetum purpureum English: elephant grass, napier grass, merker grass; Other: ‘erepani (Cook Islands (‘Atiu)); vao povi (Samoa) Poaceae grass

X

X

 

X

X
Psidium guajava Niuean: kautoga, kautonga, kautoga tāne, kautonga tāne, lala; English: guava; Other: ku‘ava (American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Fiji, Samoa); tūava, tūvava (Cook Islands, French Polynesia); tumu tuava (French Polynesia); kuawa, kuawa ke‘oke‘o, kuawa lemi, kuawa momona, pauwa (Hawai‘i) Myrtaceae tree

X

X

X

X

X
Ricinus communis Niuean: tuitui fua ikiiki?; English: castor bean, castor-oil plant; Other: lama palagi, lama papalagi (American Samoa and Samoa); tuitui papa‘ā (Cook Islands); koli, pa‘aila, ka‘apeha, kamakou, la‘au, ‘aila (Hawai‘i); lepo, lepohina (Tonga) Euphorbiaceae shrub

X

X

 

X

X
Salvia coccinea Niuean: momili; English: red salvia, red sage, scarlet sage, Texas sage, tropical sage; Other: titānia (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke)); līlīlehua (Hawai‘i); te'ekosi (Tonga) Lamiaceae herb

X

X

X

 

X
Salvia occidentalis Niuean: pupu elo, sealu; English: blue sage, West Indian sage; Other: mauku 'aunga-kino (Cook Islands (Ma'uke)); te'ekosi totolo (Tonga) Lamiaceae herb

X

X

X

 

X
*Senna siamea English: cassod tree, kassod tree, Siamese cassia, pheasantwood, Thailand shower; Other: kasia (Tonga) Fabaceae tree

 

 

 

 

X
Senna tora English: foetid cassia, stinking cassia, Java-bean, sickle senna, sicklepod, Chinese senna, peanut weed, sickle senna; Other: vao pinati (American Samoa and Samoa); pī ‘aungakino (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke)); te’epulu, tengafefeka (Tonga) Fabaceae shrub

 

 

X

X

X
Solanum torvum English: prickly solanum, devil's fig, turkeyberry, terongan; Other: tisaipale (Tonga); lapiti (Samoa) Solanaceae shrub

(1975)

X

 

 

 
Sorghum arundinaceum English: common wild sorghum, kavirondo sorghum (Fiji) Poaceae grass

X

X

X

X

X
Spathodea campanulata English: African tulip tree, fireball, fountain tree; Other: kō‘ī‘ī, mimi, pātītī vai (Cook Islands); mata kō‘ī‘ī (Cook Islands (Mangaia)); fa‘apasi (Samoa); tiulipe (Tonga) Bignoniaceae tree

X

 

 

X

X
Stachytarpheta cayennensis Niuean: mautofu Samoa, motofu Samoa?; English: blue rat's tail, dark-blue snakeweed, false verbena, nettleleaf velvetberry; Other: mautofu tai, mautofu vao, mautofu fualanumoana (American Samoa and Samoa); tiāki (Cook Islands (Miti‘aro)); hiku ‘i kuma, hiku‘kuma, ‘iku ‘i kuma, iku ‘ikuma (Tonga) Verbenaceae herb

X

X

X

X

X
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis English: bastard vervain, blue porterweed, Brazilian tea, Jamaica vervain, joee, light blue snakeweed; Other: ōwī, oī (Hawaii) Verbenaceae herb

 

X

 

X

X
Syngonium podophyllum English: arrowhead plant, goosefoot plant Araceae vine

 

 

 

X

X
Thevetia peruviana English: yellow oleander, be-still tree, lucky nut; Other: venevene (Cook Islands (Mangaia)), ‘enere (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke, Miti‘aro)); nohomalie (Hawai'i) Apocynaceae small tree

X

 

 

X

X
Tithonia diversifolia Niuean: matalā; English: tree marigold, shrub sunflower, Mexican sunflower, Japanese sunflower; Other: pua renga (Cook Islands); tiare rengarenga (Cook Islands (Aitutaki)); kavakava, pua renga (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke)) Asteraceae shrub

X

X

X

X

X
Tradescantia spathacea Niuean: laupapaki; English: oyster plant, boat plant, boat lily, moses in a boat; Other: riri mangio (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke)); riri raei (Cook Islands (Miti‘aro)); talotalo?, faina kula (Tonga) Commelinaceae herb

X

 

X

X

X
Tradescantia zebrina English: wandering zebrina, wandering jew, inchplant; Other: mauku papa‘ā (Cook Islands (Mangaia)) Commelinaceae herb

X

 

 

X

X

*Cultivated

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

[Return to Niue Report] [ Return to PIER homepage ]

This page new January 11, 2005.