Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
Report on invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta
Appendix 1.
Table 3. Other species that are known to be invasive or weedy and are present on Niue
|
Scientific Name |
Common Names (abridged) |
Family |
Habit |
Sykes (1970) |
Whistler (1988) |
Whistler (1997) |
Space & Flynn (2000) |
This survey (2004) |
| Abrus precatorius | Niuean: mata'ila, pomea mataila; English: bead vine, coral bead plant, jequirity bean, licorice vine, lucky bean, precatory bean, rosary pea, weatherplant; Other: pitipitiō (Cook Islands (Rarotonga)), koviriviri mata-tako (Cook Islands (Mangaia), uiui (Cook Islands ('Atiu, Miti'aro, Ma'uke)), Kirikiri Rangi (Cook Islands (Aitutaki)); pūkiawe, pūkiawe lei, pūkiawe lenalena [Ni'ihau], pūpūkiawe (Hawai'i); matamoso (Samoa) | Fabaceae | vine |
X |
|
X |
|
|
| Abutilon grandifolium | English: hairy abutilon | Malvaceae | shrub |
X |
|
|
|
X |
| Acalypha indica | Niuean: ongoongo, hongohongo; English: copperleaf, Indian-nettle, ricinela | Euphorbiaceae | herb |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
| Ageratum conyzoides | Niuean: sekose sea; English: billygoat-weed, chick week, goatweed, whiteweed; Other: maire vaihi (French Polynesia); maile hohono, maile honohono, maile kula (Hawai‘i); a‘amia, tae‘oti (Samoa); te‘ehosi (Tonga) | Asteraceae | herb |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Allamanda cathartica | English: yellow trumpet vine, golden trumpet, allamanda, brownbud allamanda, golden allamanda, golden cup; Other: pua taunofo (American Samoa and Samoa), tiare rengarenga, pua (Cook Islands); lani-ali‘i (Hawai‘i) | Apocynaceae | vine |
X |
|
|
X |
|
| Alpinia purpurata | English: red ginger; Other: kōpī muramura (Cook Islands); ‘awapuhi ‘ula‘ula (Hawai‘i); teuila (Samoa); tevunga (Tonga) | Zingiberaceae | herb |
X |
|
|
|
X |
| Alysicarpus vaginalis | English: alyce-clover, buffalo-clover, one-leaf-clover | Fabaceae | herb |
|
X |
|
|
X |
| Amaranthus blitum | English: amaranth, livid amaranth, slender amaranth; Other: tupu'a (Tonga) | Amaranthaceae | herb |
|
X |
|
|
|
| Amaranthus viridis | English: green amaranth, pigweed, slender amaranth; Other: va‘ine ‘ara (Cook Islands); pakai, ‘aheahea, pakaikai, pakapakai (Hawai‘i); ‘au tasi (Samoa); tupu‘a (Tonga) | Amaranthaceae | herb |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
| *Angelonia salicariifolia | English: willowleaf angelon, grannie’s bonnets, angelon | Scrophulariaceae | herb |
X |
||||
| *Annona glabra | English: pond apple, alligator apple, bullock's heart, cherimoyer | Annonaceae | tree |
|
|
|
|
X |
| *Annona reticulata | Niuean: talopo; English: bullock's-heart, custard-apple | Annonaceae | tree |
X |
|
|
|
|
| *Annona squamosa | Niuean: talopo; English: sugar apple, sweetsop, custard apple, sugar apple; Other: tapotapo (Cook Islands, French Polynesia); tapotapo Māori (Cook Islands); kātara‘apa Māori (Cook Islands (Mangaia)); naponapo Māori (Cook Islands (Aitutaki)); ‘apele papalangi, ‘apele Tonga (Tonga), nameana (Tuvalu) | Annonaceae | tree |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
| *Anredera cordifolia | Niuean: filikafa; English: Madeira vine, mignonette vine, lamb's tails; Other: tāpau (Cook Islands (‘Atiu)); ‘uala hupe (Hawai‘i) | Basellaceae | vine |
X |
|
|
|
|
| Argemone mexicana | English: Mexican prickly-poppy, Mexican poppy, prickly poppy, yellow thistle | Papaveraceae | herb |
X |
|
|
|
|
| *Aristolochia littoralis | English: Dutchman's pipe, calico flower; Other: mokorā (Cook Islands); fue paipa holani (Tonga) | Aristolochiaceae | vine |
X |
|
|
|
|
| *Asparagus plumosus | English: asparagus fern | Liliaceae | vine |
X |
|
|
|
|
| Asystasia gangetica | English: Chinese violet, Philippine violet, coromandel | Acanthaceae | herb |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Axonopus compressus | English: blanket grass, carpetgrass | Poaceae | grass |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Axonopus fissifolius | English: caratao grass, narrow-leaved carpetgrass | Poaceae | grass |
|
X |
|
|
X |
| Bambusa spp. | Niuean: kaho palangi, kaho papalangi; English: bamboo; Other: ko‘e papa‘ā (Cook Islands); ‘ohe (French Polynesia, Hawai‘i); ‘ofe (French Polynesia, Samoa); ‘ofe Fiti, ‘ofe palagi (Samoa); kofe (Tonga, Tuvalu); pitu (Tonga); pampu (Tuvalu) | Poaceae | tree |
X |
|
|
|
X |
| Bauhinia monandra | Niuean: pine fua loloa; English: orchid-tree, St. Thomas-tree, Napoleon's plume; Other: vae povi (American Samoa and Samoa); pine (Cook Islands (Rarotonga), French Polynesia); pīpīpipi (Cook Islands (Aitu)); pī pi (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke and Miti‘aro)) | Fabaceae | tree |
X |
|
|
X |
Bauhinia sp. |
| Begonia x_semperflorens-cultorum | English: bedding begonia, perpetual begonia, wax begonia | Begoniaceae | herb |
|
|
|
|
X |
| Bidens pilosa | Niuean: kofetonga, kofetoga; English: beggar’s tick, Spanish needle, cobbler's pegs; Other: piripiri kerekere (Cook Islands); piripiri (Cook Islands, French Polynesia (Tahiti)); nīroa (Cook Islands (Aitutaki)); kamika tuarongo (Cook Islands (Mangaia)); tae puaka (Futuna); ki, ki nehe, ki pipili, nehe (Hawai'i); fisi'uli (Tonga) | Asteraceae | herb |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| *Bixa orellana | English: anatto, annato, annatto, arnatto, lipstick tree; French: atole, roucou, roucouyer; Other: ‘uaeva, tāmuramura (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke)), ‘uaefa (French Polynesia (Tahiti)) | Bixaceae | shrub |
X |
|
|
|
X |
| Blechum pyramidatum | English: green shrimp plant, blackweed (Samoa), Browne’s blechum; Other: vao uli (Samoa) | Acanthaceae | herb |
|
|
|
|
X |
| Borreria verticillata | Rubiaceae | herb |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bothriochloa bladhii | English: blue grass, Australian beardgrass, Caucasian bluestem | Poaceae | grass |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Brassica juncea | English: Chinese mustard, India mustard, Indian mustard, Oriental mustard | Brassicaceae | herb |
X |
|
|
|
|
| Breynia disticha | English: snowbush, snowbush breynia, foliage-flower; Other: maemae (Cook Islands (Miti‘aro)) | Euphorbiaceae | shrub |
X |
|
|
|
X |
| Cajanus cajan | English: pigeon pea, red gram, cajan | Fabaceae | shrub |
X |
||||
| *Caladium bicolor | English: caladium, elephant's-ear, fancy-leaf caladium, heart-of-Jesus; Other: kalo-kalakoa (Hawai'i) | Araceae | herb |
X |
|
|
|
X |
| *Calliandra sp. | English: powderpuff, calliandra; Other: kaliana (Samoa) | Fabaceae | shrub |
|
|
|
|
X |
| Calopogonium mucunoides | English: calopo | Fabaceae | vine |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
| *Calotropis gigantea | English: calotrope, crown flower, madar; Other: pua-kalaunu (Hawai'i); tahinu (French Polynesia) | Ascelepiadaceae | shrub |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
| *Cananga odorata | Niuean: motōi; English: perfume tree; Other: moso‘oi (American Samoa and Samoa); moto‘oi, mata‘oi, mato‘oi (Cook Islands, Tahiti); moto‘i (French Polynesia); lanalana (Hawai‘i); mohoki, mohokoi (Tonga) | Annonaceae | tree |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
| Canna indica | English: canna, canna lily, Indian shot; Other: fanamanu, fagamanu, fa‘i masoa (American Samoa and Samoa); nūāenga (Cook Islands); tiare papa‘ā (Cook Islands (Mangaia)); pia renga (Cook Islands (Aitutaki)); pia-raroto‘a (French Polynesia); fagafaga (Futuna); ali‘ipoe, li'ipoe, poloka (Hawai'i); te misimisi (Tonga) | Cannaceae | herb |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
| *Carludovica palmata | English: Panama hat plant; Other: Panamā (Cook Islands) | Cyclanthaceae | shrub |
X |
|
|
|
|
| Casuarina equisetifolia | Niuean: toa; English: casuarina, ironwood, Australian pine, she-oak, horsetail tree, beefwood; Other: toa (American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Hawai‘i, Samoa and Tonga); ‘aito (French Polynesia (Society Islands)) | Casuarinaceae | tree |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
| Catharanthus roseus | English: Cape periwinkle, Madagascar periwinkle, old-maid, rosy periwinkle; Other: tiare tāpau (Cook Islands), kihapai (Hawai‘i)) | Apocynaceae | herb |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
| *Ceiba pentandra | Niuean: vavae; English: kapok, kapok tree, silk-cotton tree, pacae; Other: vavae (American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga); vavai (Cook Islands and French Polynesia); vavai mama‘u, vavai maori (Cook Islands); mama‘u (Cook Islands (Mangaia, Aitutaki?)) | Bombacaceae | tree |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
| *Celosia argentea | English: cockscomb | Amaranthaceae | herb |
X |
|
|
|
X |
| Cenchrus ciliaris | English: buffelgrass, African foxtail grass, anjan grass | Poaceae | grass |
X |
X |
|
|
|
| Cenchrus echinatus | Niuean: mosie vihilago, mosie vihilango; English: burgrass, sand-bur, southern sandbur, Mossman River grass (Australia); Other: tuitui, vao tuitui (American Samoa and Samoa); piripiri (Cook Islands); piri-piri, pipiri (French Polynesia); mau‘u kuku, ‘ume‘alu (Hawai'i); hefa (Tonga) | Poaceae | grass |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Centella asiatica | Niuean: tono, tonu; English: Asiatic pennywort, Indian pennywort, marsh pennywort, pennyweed, sheep-rot, thankuni; Other: kapukapu (Cook Islands); pohe kula (Hawai‘i); tono (Tonga); togo (Samoa) | Apiaceae | herb |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Centrosema pubescens | English: centro, butterfly-pea | Fabaceae | vine |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
| *Cestrum nocturnum | Niuean: ike he po; English: night-flowering cestrum, night-flowering jasmine, queen (or lady) of the night; Other: teine o le po, ali‘i o le po (American Samoa and Samoa); tiare ariki-va‘ine, ariki-va‘ine (Cook Islands); ‘ala aumoe, kupaoa, onaona Iapana (Hawai‘i); lakau po‘uli (Tonga) | Solanaceae | shrub |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
| Chamaesyce hirta | Niuean: toto tāne; English: asthma plant, garden spurge, pill-bearing spurge, hairy spurge; Other: totototo titā (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke)); eaea, raau topau (French Polynesia); koko kahiki (Hawai‘i); la‘au fai moti (Samoa); sakisi (Tonga) | Euphorbiaceae | herb |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Chamaesyce hypericifolia | English: beach spurge, graceful spurge; Other: ufi tamaiti? (Samoa) | Euphorbiaceae | herb |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Chamaesyce prostrata | Niuean: toto fifine; English: creeping splurge, prostrate spurge, red caustic creeper; Other: laulili'i (Samoa); papati (French Polynesia (Society Islands)) | Euphorbiaceae | herb |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Chloris barbata | English: swollen fingergrass, purpletop chloris (Australia), airport grass (Fiji); Other: mau’u lei (Hawai'i) | Poaceae | grass |
|
X |
|
|
X |
| Chloris gayana | English: Rhodes grass | Poaceae | grass |
X |
X |
|
|
|
| Cyclospermum leptophyllum | Niuean: taletale, sekule?; English: fir-leaved celery, marsh parsley, slender celery | Apiaceae | herb |
X |
|
|
|
|
| Cleome viscosa | English: tickweed, spider flower | Capparaceae | herb |
X |
X |
|
|
|
| Clerodendrum buchananii var. fallax | Niuean: lauma pelu, talufe?; English: red clerodendrum, pagoda-flower; Other: rākau tupopoku (Cook Islands (‘Atiu)); lau‘awa (Hawai‘i); amo’ula, amo’ule (Tonga) | Lamiaceae | shrub |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
| *Coffea arabica | Niuean: kofe; English: coffee; Other: kaope, kaope Maori (Cook Islands); kofe (Samoa), kafe (French Polynesia (Marquesas)); kofi (Tonga); taofe (Tahiti) | Rubiaceae | tree |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
| Conyza bonariensis | English: flax-leaf fleabane, hairy fleabane, hairy horseweed, wavy-leaf fleabane; Other: lani wela (Hawai‘i) | Asteraceae | herb |
|
|
X |
|
X |
| Conyza canadensis | English: butterweed, Canadian horseweed, Canadian fleabane, hogweed, horseweed | Asteraceae | herb |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
| Coronopus didymus | English: bittercress, swinecress, wart cress; Other: lesivao (Tonga) | Brassicaceae | herb |
X |
X |
|
|
|
| *Costus speciosus | English: crepe ginger, crape ginger, wild ginger, Malay ginger, canereed | Zingiberaceae | herb |
|
|
|
X |
X |
| Crassocephalum crepidioides | English: thickhead, fireweed, redflower ragleaf; Other: fua lele, pualele (American Samoa and Samoa); fisi puna (Tonga) | Asteraceae | herb |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Crotalaria micans | Niuean: pinē kotalelia; pile; English: crotalaria | Fabaceae | shrub |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
| Crotalaria pallida | Niuean: pinē kotalelia; English: salts rattlebox, smooth crotalaria, smooth rattlebox, smooth rattlepod, streaked rattlepod, striped crotalaria; Other: maniva (Cook Islands (‘Atiu)); pikakani, kolomona (Hawai‘i); pi'isi (Tonga) | Fabaceae | shrub |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Crotalaria verrucosa | English: blue-flower rattlepod, tooth-leaf rattlepod | Fabaceae | herb |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
| Cuscuta campestris | English: golden dodder, field dodder, five-angled dodder; Other: tiaea (Cook Islands (Mangaia)) | Cuscutaceae | vine |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
| Cynodon dactylon | Niuean: mosie molulu; English: Bermuda grass, giant Bermuda grass, bahama grass, devil's grass, couch grass, Indian doab, grama, devilgrass, couchgrass, balama grass; Other: matie (Cook Islands); manini, manienie (Hawai‘i) | Poaceae | grass |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Cyperus compressus | English: flat sedge; Other: pakopako (Tonga) | Cyperaceae | sedge |
X |
|
|
|
X |
| Cyperus cyperoides | Niuean: pako; Other: tuise (Samoa); pako pako (Tonga) | Cyperaceae | sedge |
X |
X |
|
|
|
| Cyperus gracilis | English: McCoy grass, slender sedge, whisker grass, whisker sedge; Other: mau‘u hunehune (Hawai‘i) | Cyperaceae | sedge |
|
X |
|
|
|
| Cyperus involucratus | English: umbrella sedge, umbrella plant, dwarf papyrus grass; Other: ‘ahu‘awa haole, pu‘uka‘a haole (Hawai‘i) | Cyperaceae | sedge |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
| Cyperus rotundus | English: nut grass, nutsedge, purple nutsedge, cocograss; Other: mauku ‘ōniāni, ‘ōniāni (Cook Islands); kili'o'opu, mau‘u mokae (Hawai‘i); mumuta (Samoa, Tokelau); pakopako (Tonga) | Cyperaceae | sedge |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Dactyloctenium aegyptium | English: beach wiregrass, button grass, coast button grass, comb fringe grass, crowfoot grass, duck grass, finger comb grass | Poaceae | grass |
|
X |
|
|
|
| Datura metel | English: datura, downy thorn-apple, Hindu datura, Hindu thorn-apple, hoary thorn-apple, horn-of-plenty, jimson-weed, purple thorn-apple; Other: pūāve (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke, Ngaputoru?) | Solanaceae | herb |
X |
|
|
|
|
| Derris malaccensis | Niuean: akau niukini, niukini; English: New Guinea creeper; Other: ‘ava niukini (American Samoa and Samoa); ‘ora pāpua, rakau papua (Cook Islands); hora papua (French Polynesia); kava fisi (Tonga) | Fabaceae | vine |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
| Desmodium incanum | English: kaimi clover, Spanish clover; Other: ngātoro (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke)); ka‘imi (Hawai‘i) | Fabaceae | shrub |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Desmodium triflorum | English: creeping tick trefoil, three-flower beggarweed, tropical trefoil; Other: kihikihi (Tonga) | Fabaceae | herb |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Desmodium uncinatum | English: silverleaf desmodium, Spanish clover, Spanish tick-clover | Fabaceae | herb |
X |
X |
|
|
|
| Dichanthium annulatum | English: Angleton grass, bluestem, Diaz bluestem, Hindi grass, Kleberg bluestem, marvel grass, sheda grass, vunda blue grass (Fiji) | Poaceae | grass |
X |
X |
|
|
|
| *Dieffenbachia seguine | English: dieffenbachia, dumb cane | Araceae | herb |
|
|
|
|
X |
| Digitaria ciliaris | Niuean: saulangi; English: Henry's crabgrass, smooth crabgrass, tropical crab grass, large crab grass, southern crabgrass, fingergrass, summer grass; Other: kukaepua'a (Hawai'i) | Poaceae | grass |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
| Digitaria violascens | English: smooth crabgrass, violet crabgrass | Poaceae | grass |
X |
X |
|
|
|
| Echinochloa colona | English: awnless barnyard grass (Australia), corn panic grass, Deccan grass, jungle ricegrass, millet-rice, pigeon millet (Samoa), shama millet; Other: sefa (Samoa); muhuku'apopoa, matala'ulie (Tonga) | Poaceae | grass |
|
X |
|
|
|
| Echinochloa crus-galli | English: barnyard grass, cockspur grass | Poaceae | grass |
X |
|
|
|
|
| Eclipta prostrata | English: eclipta, false daisy, swamp daisy, white eclipta; Other: miri mapua (Cook Islands (Ma‘uke)) | Asteraceae | herb |
X |
X |
|
|
|
| *Elaeis guineensis | English: African oil palm;Other: nū tāmara (Cook Islands (Mangaia)) | Arecaceae | tree |
X |
|
|
X |
|
| Eleutheranthera ruderalis | Other: pakaka (Tonga) | Asteraceae | herb |
|
X |
|
|
X |
| Emilia sonchifolia | Niuean: pualele, pupu lele; English: Cupid's shaving-brush, emilia, Flora's paint brush, purple sow thistle, sow thistle; Other: pualele (Samoa); fua lele, fua lele lili‘i (Samoa); longlongo‘uha (Tonga)) | Asteraceae | herb |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
| Eragrostis amabilis | English: Bug's egg grass, Japanese love grass, love grass | Poaceae | grass |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| *Eugenia uniflora | Niuean: kafika, kafika palangi, kafika papalangi; English: Surinam cherry, red Brazil cherry; Other: venevene (Cook Islands); menemene (Cook Islands (Mangaia)) | Myrtaceae | shrub/tree |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
| Euphorbia cyathophora | Niuean: toto uli?; English: dwarf poinsettia, fire-on-the-mountain, Mexican fire plant, painted spurge, wild poinsettia | Euphorbiaceae | herb |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Euphorbia heterophylla | English: Mexican fireplant, milkweed, painted euphorbia, paintedleaf, wild spurge; Other: kaliko (Hawai‘i) | Euphorbiaceae | herb |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
| *Ficus elastica | English: India rubber tree, rubber plant; Other: rapa (Cook Islands) | Moraceae | tree |
|
|
|
X |
X |
| *Flacourtia jangomas | Niuean: palamu; English: Indian-plum, runeala-plum; Other: venevene pāma (Cook Islands) | Flacourtiaceae | tree |
X |
|
|
|
|
| Foeniculum vulgare | Niuean: taletale; English: fennel; Other: taretare tui-‘ei (Cook Islands (‘Atiu)) | Apiaceae | herb |
X |
|
|
|
|
| Furcraea foetida | Niuean: toua; English: Mauritius hemp, maguey; Other: piāni, rōpiāni (Cook Islands); malina (Hawai‘i (Ni‘ihau)); faumalila, fau malila (Tonga) | Agavaceae | succulent |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
| *Gliricidia sepium | English: mother of cacao, quickstick, Mexican lilac | Fabaceae | tree |
|
|
|
X |
X |
| *Gloriosa superba | English: climbing-lily, creeping-lily, flame-lily, glory-lily, gloriosa lily; Other: riri vavai-moa (Cook Islands ('Atiu)) | Liliaceae |