Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
Report on invasive plant species in Palau (2002 survey)
Appendix 5. Other invasive species by location
Table 5. Other invasive species present on Peleliu
Scientific name |
Common Names (abridged) |
Family |
Habit |
Acalypha lanceolata | Euphorbiaceae | herb | |
**†Achyranthes aspera | chaff-flower, devil's horsewhip; prickly chaff-flower, louch beluu (Palau), louch el beluu (Palau) | Amaranthaceae | herb |
†Asclepias curassavica | bastard ipecac, blood flower, bloodflower milkweed, butterfly weed, false ipecac, milkweed | Asclepiadaceae | herb |
Axonopus compressus | blanket grass, carpetgrass | Poaceae | grass |
Bidens alba | beggar’s tick, Spanish needle, cobbler's pegs, romerillo | Asteraceae | herb |
†Bidens pilosa | beggar’s tick, Spanish needle, cobbler's pegs | Asteraceae | herb |
Blechum pyramidata | green shrimp plant, Browne’s blechum | Acanthaceae | herb |
*Caladium bicolor | caladium, elephant's-ear, fancy-leaf caladium, heart-of-Jesus | Araceae | herb |
*Catharanthus roseus | Cape periwinkle, Madagascar periwinkle, old-maid, rose periwinkle, rosy periwinkle | Apocynaceae | herb |
Chamaesyce hirta | asthma plant, garden spurge, pill-bearing spurge, hairy spurge, udall (Palau) | Euphorbiaceae | herb |
Chamaesyce hypericifolia | beach spurge, graceful spurge | Euphorbiaceae | herb |
†Coix lacryma-jobi | adlay, adlay millet, Job's-tears, demairuuch (Palau), tauiir (Palau) | Poaceae | grass |
†Conyza bonariensis | flax-leaf fleabane, hairy fleabane, hairy horseweed, wavy-leaf fleabane | Asteraceae | herb |
Conyza canadensis | butterweed, Canadian horseweed, Canadian fleabane, hogweed, horseweed | Asteraceae | herb |
**†Cyperus cyperinus | long-headed sedge | Cyperaceae | sedge |
Dactyloctenium aegyptium | beach wiregrass, button grass, coast button grass, comb fringe grass, crowfoot grass, duck grass, finger comb grass | Poaceae | grass |
*Datura metel | datura, downy thorn-apple, Hindu datura, Hindu thorn-apple, hoary thorn-apple, horn-of-plenty, jimson-weed, purple thorn-apple | Solanaceae | herb |
*Delonix regia | flame tree, flamboyant, poinciana, nangiosákura (Palau), nangiosikura (Palau), nangyo (Palau) | Fabaceae | tree |
Desmodium incanum | kaimi clover, Spanish clover | Fabaceae | shrub |
*Duranta erecta | duranta, golden dewdrop, pigeon-berry, sky-flower | Verbenaceae | shrub |
Eclipta prostrata | eclipta, false daisy, swamp daisy, white eclipta, deberebelela tengadidik (Palau) | Asteraceae | herb |
**†Eragrostis amabilis | Bug's egg grass, Japanese love grass, ouemoket (Palau) | Poaceae | grass |
Euphorbia cyathophora | dwarf poinsettia, fire-on-the-mountain, Mexican fire plant, painted spurge, wild poinsettia | Euphorbiaceae | herb |
Heliotropium procumbens | Boraginaceae | herb | |
Imperata conferta | plume grass | Poaceae | grass |
Lepidium virginicum | peppergrass, Virginia peppercress, Virginia pepperweed, wild peppercress | Brassicaceae | herb |
**Ludwigia octovalvis | willow primrose, false primrose, yellow willow herb, erur (Palau) | Onagraceae | herb |
Momordica charantia | balsam-apple, bitter-melon, bitter gourd, balsam pear, squirting cucumber, cerasee, peria, markoso (Palau), markosong (Palau) | Cucurbitaceae | vine |
*Moringa oleifera | horseradish tree, drumstick tree, ben nut, morango, malungkai (Palau) | Moringaceae | tree |
Oldenlandia corymbosa | Rubiaceae | herb | |
*Opuntia sp. | drooping tree pear, prickly pear | Cactaceae | cactus |
†Paspalum scrobiculatum | rice grass; creeping paspalum, ditch millet, Indian paspalum, kodo millet, water couch, desum (Palau) | Poaceae | grass |
Peperomia pellucida | rtertiil (Palau) | Piperaceae | herb |
Phyla nodiflora | fogfruit, lippia, phyla | Verbenaceae | herb |
Phyllanthus amarus | ukalla ruchel (Palau) | Euphorbiaceae | herb |
Physalis angulata | annual ground cherry, bubeubedul (Palau) | Solanaceae | herb |
†Physalis minima | sunberry | Solanaceae | herb |
Pilea microphylla | artillery plant, gunpowder plant, pistol plant, rockweed | Urticaceae | herb |
Polygala paniculata | island snake-root, keskus ra mekesong (Palau) | Polygalaceae | herb |
**†Polygonum minus | smartweed | Polygonaceae | herb |
Portulaca oleracea | pigweed, purslane | Portulacaceae | herb |
Pseuderanthemum carruthersii | Acanthaceae | shrub | |
Scoparia dulcis | scoparia, sweet broom | Scrophulariaceae | herb |
Sida rhombifolia | arrow-leaf sida, Cuban jute, Paddy's lucerne, Queensland-hemp, teaweed, keak (Palau) | Malvaceae | shrub |
Spermacoce assurgens | buttonweed, okulabeluu (Palau) | Rubiaceae | herb |
†Spermacoce ernstii | Rubiaceae | herb | |
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis | bastard vervain, blue porterweed, Brazilian tea, Jamaica vervain, joee, light blue snakeweed, louch beluu (Palau) | Verbenaceae | herb |
Synedrella nodiflora | Cinderella weed (Australia), porter bush, synedrella | Asteraceae | herb |
Tridax procumbens | coat buttons, tridax daisy | Asteraceae | herb |
**Vernonia cinerea | ironweed, little ironweed, vernonia | Asteraceae | herb |
*Cultivated
**Native/Micronesian introduction
†Reported present by Fosberg et al. (1979)
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This page revised 7 April 2009