Cuphea carthagenensis (Jacq.) J.F.Macbr., Lythraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Colombian cuphea, Colombian waxweed, Columbian cuphea, tarweed

Fijian: kerisi, lasahia

Samoan: la‘au fau moti

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Annual or perhaps short-lived perennial herbs, sometimes slightly woody at base; stems 1.5-5 dm long, often many-branched, glandular hispid and white puberulent.  Leaves obovate to elliptic or oblong-elliptic, (10-) 20-60 mm long, (8-) 12-26 mm wide, apex obtuse, base cuneate, petioles 0-2 mm long.  Flowers few in terminal and also axillary cymes, pedicels ca. 1 mm long; floral tube green, sometimes becoming reddish, flask-shaped, 4-7 mm long, sparsely hispidulous on nerves, some of the hairs glandular; calyx teeth ovate; petals pale pink or bluish, drying violet, subequal, ca. 1.5 mm long; stamens included and inserted in 2 unequal whorls near the constriction of the floral tube.  Capsules ovoid, 1-celled, 3.5-5 mm long.  Seeds 4, suborbicular, ca. 2 mm in diameter"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 866).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in mesic to wet, disturbed sites, 50-935 m." (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 866).  In Fiji, "found from near sea level to an elevation of 1,125 m as a sometimes abundant weed in gardens, plantations, and open fields, along roadsides and forest trails, and in open places on ridges and crests" (Smith, 1985; p. 283).  "Common to abundant in pastures and wet, sunny places, mostly at higher elevations, but uncommon in Tonga" (Whistler, 1988; p. 28). "It is occasional to common in wet, disturbed places in Samoa, particularly in roadside ditches and wet pastures away from the coast" (Whistler, 1983; p. 54). In New Caledonia, "mauvaise herbe arrivée paraît-il assez récemment et maintenant très répandue, surtout en lieux frais et humides" (MacKee, 1994; p. 95).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Tropical America (Smith, 1985; p. 283).

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		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 90)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Anon. (1988) (p. 1)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Northern Mariana Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 90)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcan Alcedo	introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcan Cerro Azul	introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcan Sierra Negra	introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Santiago Island	introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 180)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C. (1980) (p. 207) Voucher cited: Hallier 58 (HBG)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Lakemba Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 283-284) Voucher cited: Garnock-Jones 921
Fiji Fiji Islands	Taveuni Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 283-284) Voucher cited: DA 8927
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 283-284) Voucher cited: Bierhorst F173
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 283-284) Vouchers cited: Tothill 202, Smith 4816, Greenwood 786, Smith 5391, McKee 2748, DA 10553, Smith 8815, DA 9523, DA 10037, DA 11506, DA 9806, Smith 7005, DA 10578, DA 12236
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 170) Voucher cited: BRY 26033a
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 866)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 866)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. (2002) (p. 9) Vouchers cited: Oppenheimer H109923 (BISH), Oppenheimer H109925 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 866)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 866)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 866)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 95) Vouchers cited: MacKee 7851, MacKee 13397, MacKee 14325, MacKee 15220, MacKee 16085, Schmid 3085 (NOU), MacKee 22006, MacKee 27980, MacKee 29839, MacKee 35245, Suprin 405 (NOU), Morat 6309
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Western Samoa Islands		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 28)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 28)
Vanuatu New Hebrides Islands	Vanuatu (Republic of)		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 90)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

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

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

References:

Anon. 1988. Weed list for American Samoa by cropping system. Checklist dated 07/13/88, origin unknown. 3 pp.

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C. 1980. Noteworthy Micronesian plants 4. Micronesica 16(2):201-210.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. 2002. New plant records from the main Hawaiian Islands. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2000. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 69:1-14.

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Tassin, Jacques. 2005. Jacques Tassin (IAC-CIRAD), personal communication.

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

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).

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1983. Weed Handbook of Western Polynesia. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Eschborn. 151 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1988. Checklist of the weed flora of western Polynesia. Technical Paper No. 194, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 69 pp.

Wiggins, I. L./Porter, D. M. 1971. Flora of the Galapágos Islands. Stanford University Press. 998 pp.