Odontonema cuspidatum (Nees) Kuntze, Acanthaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 7 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Odontonema strictum hort.; Thyrsacanthus cuspidatus Nees

Common name(s): [more details]

English: cardinal flower, cardinal's guard, fire spike, mottled toothedthread, odontonema, red justicia

Spanish: lava botellas

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Habit shrubby, 1-1.5 m tall, leaves short-petiolate, the blade ovate-elliptic, 9-15 x 3.5-9.7 cm, sparsely hirtellous beneath on veins and costa; inflorescence terminal, a 3-5-branched thyrsoid panicle, the partial inflorescences racemiform, 10-22 cm long, flowers in cymules of 3-5, on hirtellous pedicels 2.5-3 mm long, calyx red, the lobes 5, triangular-ovate, 1-1.5 mm long; corolla bright red, salverform, slightly zygomorphic, the tube 25-28 mm long, 3 mm wide distally, glabrous without, lobes 5, oblong, 4-5 x 2-3 mm, glabrous without, glandular puberulent within, the margins ciliolate; capsule clavate, glabrous, 10 x 3 mm"  (Lorence et al., 1995; p. 20).

See also Odontonema tubaeforme.

Habitat/ecology:  "Cardinal's guard prospers on fertile and moderately fertile soils that are continually moist. It is moderately tolerant of shade and will bloom in full sun, broken sun, and moderate shade (author's observation, Blomber 2000). In Central America, it grows from near sea level to 1,400 m in elevation (Stevens and others 2001). Cardinal's guard is not salt tolerant (Watkins 1975).  Cardinal's guard is most common in disturbed areas (Stevens and others 2001), along streams and drains, and in extra moist places in secondary forests"  (Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories).  "Tolerant of a wide array of environmental conditions (except for salt exposure), fire-spike grows in cool, moist valleys as well as drier sunny lowlands"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 88).

Propagation:  Primarily vegetatively, but occasionally by seed.  Specimens with mature fruit were collected by Lorence on Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i (Lorence et al., 1995; p. 20). "Most of the stands of cardinal's guard in Puerto Rico have originated from abandoned gardens or errant pieces of stem or root that have been transported by streams or dumped in the woods with garden prunings. Once established, plants spread by root suckers. The stems also layer (root) readily when they become prostrate"  (Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories).

Native range:  Mexico (GRIN).

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 invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. 36) Voucher: Flynn 6557 (PTBG)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1999) (voucher ID: PTBG 302) Taxon name on voucher: Odontonema cuspidatum
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1999) (voucher ID: PTBG 28749) Taxon name on voucher: Odontonema cuspidatum (Nees) O. Kuntze
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Makatea (Ma‘atea) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rapa Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rimatara (Rimitara) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rurutu Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Tubuai Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 167)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T./Herbst, Derral R. (2002) (p. 4) Vouchers cited: L.W. Cuddihy (ESP) 93 (BISH), D. Mueller-Dombois s.n. (BISH 573852), S. Ishikawa 208 (BISH), L.W. Cuddigy 2073 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 167, 1856)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 20) Vouchers cited: T. Flynn 1859 (BISH, PTBG), D. Lorence 7442 (PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. (2002) (p. 2) East Maui. Vouchers cited: Flynn & Sidler 2577 (BISH), Oppenheimer H119920 (BISH), Oppenheimer H119923 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 167)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2007) (p. 9) Voucher cited: D. Frohlich, A. Lau, F. & K. Starr 0608102 (BISH)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 59) "Potted plant in a few household gardens".
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 8) Voucher: Flynn 6929 (PTBG, US, SAMOA)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2002) (voucher ID: PTBG 324) Taxon name on voucher: Odontonema cuspidatum

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 64) Cultivated only

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Odontonema cuspidatum, please let us know.