Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: bicolor false eranthemum, shooting star

Kwara‘ae: ofenga ai, rongronglua

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrub, 1-2 m high, cultivated from near sea level to about 200 m; petioles 2-10 mm long; leaf blades lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 4-11 x 1.5-4 cm, usually about 3 times longer than broad, attenuate at base, obtuse or obtusely attenuate at apex, reddish to dark purple in color on both surfaces; corolla tube 18-25 mm long, white at base, pale purple or pink distally, the lobes 10-15 mm long, pale purple- or pink-mottled within proximally" (Smith, 1991; pp. 133-134).

Habitat/ecology:  "Moist but well-drained soils in partially shaded places are preferred" (Whistler, 2000; p. 386).

Propagation:  Vegetatively?  "Fruit does not seem to form readily (if at all) in Hawaii"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 90).

Native range:  "Presumably Malesia, but now cultivated in other Pacific areas and probably elsewhere" (Smith, 1991; pp. 133-134); Philippines; naturalized elsewhere (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 133-134) Vouchers cited: Smith 7079, DA 16452, DA 16220, DA 12289
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 535)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 259)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	introduced cultivated	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 90)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 259)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 59)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 82) Voucher cited: Thaman & Manner 27810 (SUVA)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 133-134)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced invasive cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 103)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 73) Cultivated only

Comments:  Reported as possibly an invasive plant in Fiji (Meyer, 2000; p. 92).

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

Information about Pseuderanthemum bicolor as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

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

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

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

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2000. Preliminary review of the invasive plants in the Pacific islands (SPREP Member Countries). In: Sherley, G. (tech. ed.). Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Samoa. 190 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1991. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 5. 626 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. 1994. The flora of Nauru. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Research Bulletin 392:1-223.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. 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.

Whistler, W. A. 2000. Tropical ornamentals: a guide. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 542 pp.