Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
Report on invasive plant species in Palau (2008 survey)
Appendix 4, Table 5. Invasive species of environmental concern present on Peleliu
Scientific Name |
Common Names (abridged) |
Family |
Habit |
†Abelmoschus moschatus | English: fautia, musk mallow, musk okra; Palauan: gongul | Malvaceae | herb |
*Acacia auriculiformis | English: Papuan wattle, earleaf acacia, northern black wattle, ear-pod wattle | Fabaceae | tree |
*Agave sp. | English: American aloe, century plant | Agavaceae | succulent |
Axonopus compressus | English: blanket grass, carpetgrass | Poaceae | grass |
+Bacopa procumbens | Scrophulariaceae | herb | |
*Barleria lupulina | English: hophead, Philippine violet | Acanthaceae | shrub |
Bothriochloa bladhii | English: plains bluegrass, Australian bluestem, Caucasian bluestem; Palaluan: desum | Poaceae | grass |
†Bryophyllum pinnatum | English: life plant, air plant, resurrection plant, Canterbury bells, cathedral bells, Mexican love plant | Crassulaceae | succulent |
*Calotropis gigantea | English: calotrope, crown flower, madar | Ascelepiadaceae | shrub |
†Cenchrus brownii | English: burgrass, burr grass, sand-bur, slimbristle sandbur | Poaceae | grass |
Cenchrus echinatus | English: burgrass, sand-bur, southern sandbur, Mossman River grass (Australia) | Poaceae | grass |
Chloris barbata | English: swollen fingergrass | Poaceae | grass |
Chromolaena odorata | English: chromolaena; Palauan: kesengesil, ngesngesil | Asteraceae | shrub |
Clerodendrum buchananii var. fallax | English: red clerodendrum, pagoda-flower; Palauan: but a cherechar, butcherechár, butecherechar | Lamiaceae | shrub |
Clerodendrum paniculatum | English: pagoda plant, pagoda flower; Palauan: butcherechár, butecherechar | Lamiaceae | shrub |
Clerodendrum quadriloculare | English: bronze-leaved clerodendrum; Palauan: kleuang | Lamiaceae | shrub |
*Crotalaria retusa | English: devil-bean, wedge-leaf crotalaria, wedge-leaf rattlepod | Fabaceae | herb |
Cynodon dactylon | English: Bermuda grass, giant Bermuda grass, bahama grass, devil's grass, couch grass, Indian doab, grama, devilgrass, couchgrass, balama grass | Poaceae | grass |
Cyperus rotundus | English: nut grass, nutsedge, purple nutsedge, cocograss; Palauan tamanengi | Cyperaceae | sedge |
Dactyloctenium aegyptium | English: beach wiregrass, button grass, coast button grass, comb fringe grass, crowfoot grass, duck grass, finger comb grass | Poaceae | grass |
*Datura metel | English: datura, downy thorn-apple, Hindu datura, hoary thorn-apple, jimson-weed | Solanaceae | herb |
Dentella repens | English: dentella | Rubiaceae | herb |
*Dieffenbachia seguine | English: dieffenbachia, dumb cane | Araceae | herb |
Digitaria ciliaris | English: Henry's crabgrass, smooth crabgrass, tropical crab grass, large crab grass, southern crabgrass, fingergrass, summer grass | Poaceae | grass |
*Duranta erecta | English: duranta, golden dewdrop, pigeon-berry, sky-flower | Verbenaceae | shrub |
Eleusine indica | English: goosegrass, wiregrass, goose foot, crow's foot, bullgrass; Palauan: deskim, kelelamalk, keteketarmalk | Poaceae | grass |
Erigeron bellioides | English: bellorita, fleabane daisy | Asteraceae | herb |
*Hamelia patens | English: redhead, scarletbush | Rubiaceae | herb |
Imperata conferta | English: plume grass | Poaceae | grass |
†Ipomoea aquatica | English: aquatic morning glory, swamp cabbage, water spinach, ung-choi, kang kong; Palauan: kangkum, kangum, kankum | Convolvulaceae | aquatic herb |
Ipomoea triloba | English: Aiea morning-glory, little bell; Palauan: orech, torech | Convolvulaceae | vine |
Lantana camara | English: lantana | Verbenaceae | shrub |
Leucaena leucocephala | English: leucaena, wild tamarind, lead tree; Palauan: telengtungd, telentund | Fabaceae | tree |
Mikania micrantha | English: mile-a-minute weed, Chinese creeper, American rope, bittervine; Palauan: teb el yas | Asteraceae | vine |
Muntingia calabura | English: jam tree, strawberry tree, Jamaican cherry, Singapore cherry, Panama cherry, Panama berry, ornamental cherry, calabura, sirsen; Palauan: budo | Tiliaceae | tree |
†Paspalum conjugatum | English: T grass, ti grass, sour grass; sour palpalum, buffalo grass, carabao grass, Hilo grass (Hawai'i); Palauan: udel ra ngebel | Poaceae | grass |
†Paspalum scrobiculatum | English: rice grass; creeping paspalum, ditch millet, Indian paspalum, kodo millet, water couch; Palauan: desum | Poaceae | grass |
Passiflora foetida | English: love-in-a-mist, wild passion fruit, passionflower, stinking passionflower; Palauan: kudamono | Passifloraceae | vine |
Pennisetum polystachion | English: mission grass, feathery pennisetum; Palauan: desum | Poaceae | grass |
Pennisetum purpureum | English: elephant grass, napier grass, merker grass; Palauan: bokso | Poaceae | grass |
Pilea microphylla | English: artillery plant, gunpowder plant, pistol plant, rockweed | Urticaceae | herb |
Pluchea carolinensis | English: sour bush | Asteraceae | shrub |
Pseuderanthemum carruthersii | English: false eranthemum | Acanthaceae | shrub |
Psidium guajava | English: guava; Palauan: guabang, kuabang | Myrtaceae | tree |
Ricinus communis | English: castor bean, castor-oil plant; Palauan: gelug, uluchula skoki | Euphorbiaceae | shrub |
*Samanea saman | English: monkeypod, rain tree, saman | Fabaceae | tree |
*Sansevieria trifasciata | English: bowstring hemp, mother-in-law’s tongue; Palauan: kitelel | Agavaceae | herb |
*Senna alata | English: candle bush; candelabra bush, Roman candle tree, emperor's candlesticks, alcapulco; Palauan: kerula besokel, yult | Fabaceae | shrub |
Senna obtusifolia | English: habucha, coffeeweed, sicklepod | Fabaceae | herb |
Sphagneticola trilobata | English: wedelia, trailing daisy, Singapore daisy, creeping ox-eye; Palauan: ngesil ra ngebard | Asteraceae | herb |
Stachytarpheta cayennensis | English: blue rat's tail, dark-blue snakeweed, false verbena, nettleleaf velvetberry; Palauan: louch beluu | Verbenaceae | herb |
*Syngonium angustatum | English: arrowhead plant, goosefoot plant | Araceae | vine |
*Tecoma stans | English: yellow bells, yellow-elder, yellow trumpetbush | Bignoniaceae | small tree |
*Thevetia peruviana | English: yellow oleander, be-still tree, lucky nut | Apocynaceae | small tree |
Timonius timon | English: liberal (Palau) | Rubiaceae | tree |
Tradescantia spathacea | English: oyster plant, boat plant, boat lily, moses in a boat; Palauan: kobesos | Commelinaceae | herb |
Tradescantia zebrina | English: wandering zebrina, wandering jew, inchplant | Commelinaceae | herb |
Turnera ulmifolia | English: yellow alder, sage rose, West Indian holly, ramgoat dashalong | Turneraceae | shrub |
†Xanthosoma sagittifolium | English: new cocoyam, tania, yautia; Palauan: bisech ra ruk, eball | Araceae | herb |
*Cultivated
†Reported present by Fosberg et al. (1979)
+Voucher specimen at Beleu National Museum Herbarium
Need more info? Have questions? Comments? Information to contribute? Contact PIER!
[Return to Palau 2008 report] [ Return to PIER homepage ]
This page new 8 April 2009