Calliandra calothyrsus Meisn., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 11 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Calliandra houstoniana (Mill.) Standl. var. acapulcensis (Mill.) Barneby; Calliandra houstoniana (Miller) Standl. var. calothyrsus (Meisn.) Barneby

Common name(s): [more details]

English: calliandra, powderpuff, red calliandra

Samoan: kaliana

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Leafstalks of larger leaves 8-15 cm, their longer interpinnal segments 6-10 (-12) mm; rachis of longer pinnae (4-) 5-8.5 cm; longer leaflets linear acute 4-9 (-10) x 0.65-1.9 mm, either straight or gently incurved.  Inflorescence-axes either glabrous, or puberulent, or pilose, but the peduncles at most thinly so; peduncles (3-) 4-12 (-15) mm; pedicels 2-4.5 mm; perianth commonly glabrous, rarely minropuberulent; calyx 1.6-2.3 x 2.2-3.2 mm, the teeth 0.25-0.6 mm; corolla (6-) 6.5-9.5 (-11.5) mm, the lobes as long as tube or separating to rim of stemonozone; androecium 40-52-merous, usually crimson throughout, occasionally pallid proximally and pink distally.  Pods in profile 8-11 (-12) x 1.1-1.6 cm, commonly glabrous or micropuberulent, less often strigulose or even pilose" (Barneby, 1998; pp. 180-182).

"Slender shrubs, rarely to 10 m tall, nearly glabrous; leaves with 15-20 pairs of pinnae; the leaflets rounded or very obtuse, not curved. Flowers in mimosa-like "powderpuffs", the corolla glabrous or nearly so. Each flower opens for a single night to display showy filaments, which usually are white at the very base and red at the tip (although they may be pink). By the next day, the filaments have wilted, and unfertilized flowers drop. Pods 8-11 cm long, ca 1 cm wide, with 3-15 seeds" (University of Connecticut, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Conservatory).

Habitat/ecology:  "In brush-woodland, along stony river banks, on roadsides, in wasteland, and in undisturbed open forest, (2-) 50-1400 (-1650) m" (Barneby 1998). "Along riverbanks or disturbed areas from 0-1900 m" (University of Connecticut, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Conservatory).
See also information about Calliandra calothyrsus at the Purdue University NewCROP website.

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Mexico to Belize and Panama; cultivated and weedy in interior Hispaniola, and widely planted in the Paleotropics (Barneby, 1998; pp. 180-182).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. 33)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Floreana Group	Floreana Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Parker, James L./Parsons, Bobby (2012) (p. 68) As Calliandra houstoniana (Mill.) Standl. var calothrsa (Meisn.) Barneby. Voucher cited: J. Parker & R. Parsons BIED125 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2012) (p. 38) As Calliandra houstoniana (Mill.) Standl. var calothrsa (Meisn.) Barneby. Voucher cited: OED 2010060702 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./James, Shelly A./Kennedy, Barbara H. (2008) (p. 13) Voucher cited: C. Imada, S. James & P. Imada 2007-15 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2010) (p. 64) East Maui. Vouchers cited: Starr & Starr 061212-01 (BISH), Starr & Starr 040116-02 (BISH)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 77) Voucher cited: Durand in MacKee 46259
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 39) Voucher: BMW 7041 (BISH, CHR, BRI)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (pp. 12, 84)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 12)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 12)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 54)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 51) Cultivated at MAF Experiment Station.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 97)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Comments:  Promoted as a forage plant in Australia.

Used for watershed stabilization plantings in Samoa. Little naturalization seen but should be monitored for possible spread (Space & Flynn, 2002).

Control:  If you know of control methods for Calliandra calothyrsus, please let us know.