Callisia fragrans (Lindl.) Woodson, Commelinaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: basketplant, fragrant inch plant, spironema

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Perennial herbs; stems fleshy, up to 10 dm long, branched, with long stolons at base.  Leaves clustered toward the ends of the stem, scattered below, elliptic-lanceolate, 18-25 cm long, 3.5-4 cm wide, base prominently veined, clasping, ciliate, often striped with purple.  Flowers in compact pairs of cymes arranged in panicles up to 6 dm long, each cyme pair subtended by 3-toothed bracts 10-15 mm long; sepals white-transparent, scarious, lanceolate, 5-6 mm long; petals glossy, white-transparent, thin, wilting by noon, narrowly ovate, erose, ca 6 mm long; stamens 6"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1378).

Habitat/ecology:  Prefers fertile, moist soils in a protected, partially shaded area (Bodkin, 1986, cited in Csurhes and Edwards, 1998; p. 97).  In Hawai‘i, "cultivated and now sparingly naturalized in urban areas, 5-25 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1378).

Propagation:  Seed and cuttings.

Native range:  Mexico, often cultivated as a hanging-basket plant.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 22) "A large colony has established itself on the Island as a garden escape beside Anderson Road". Voucher cited: J.G. Conran 642 (K, NSW)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Aitutaki Atoll	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 74)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 79)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1378) Sparingly naturalized.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2003) (p. 26) East Maui. Voucher cited: Starr & Martz 010213-1 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1378) Sparingly naturalized.
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 35)

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)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 97) Southeast Queensland. Naturalized
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Additional information:  Additional online information about Callisia fragrans is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Callisia fragrans may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1994. Flora of Australia. Vol. 49, Oceanic islands 1. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of the Cook Islands on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 146 pp.

Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. 2003. New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2001-2002. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 74:23-34.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Vander Velde, Nancy. 2003. The vascular plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Smithsonian Institution, Atoll Research Bulletin No. 503:1-141.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).