Scoparia dulcis L., Plantaginaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: ye gan cao

English: bitter broom, broom weed, licorice weed, riceweed, scoparia, sweet broom

Japanese: seitaka-kanabikiso

Spanish: escobilla

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Branched herb with wiry stems, up to 1 m tall; leaves opposite or whorled in threes, narrowly elliptic, subsessile, 3-4 cm long, 1-1.5 cm wide, distally serrulate or serrate; flowers pedicellate, axillary; calyx 4-lobed; corolla 5 mm wide, white, hairy within; stamens greenish; ovary green; capsule subglobose"  (Stone, 1970; p. 526).

Habitat/ecology:  A weed of waste ground.  In Fiji, "naturalized at elevations from near sea level to about 200 m in villages, cultivated areas, pastures, etc., said to be common but apparently local in distribution" (Smith, 1991; pp. 79-80). Moist uplands in the Galápagos Islands (McMullen, 1999; p. 255).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Tropical America, now pan-tropical (Stone, 1970; p. 526). Fosberg et al. (1979; pp. 250-251) list as native in Micronesia.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Northern Mariana Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 96)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Fernandina Group	Fernandina Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Floreana Group	Floreana Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Alcedo, Isabela Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Santiago Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (pp. 250-251)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Glassman, S. F. (1952) (p. 101)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced invasive	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 136) Naturalized
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 79-80) Voucher cited: Greenwood 525
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 79-80) Vouchers cited: DA 457, DA 735, DA 10818, DA 9920, Meebold 16521, DA 2624, Greenwood 525A, DA 817
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 268) Voucher cited: Drake l.c.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced invasive	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 526)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (pp. 250-251)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (pp. 250-251)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced invasive	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (pp. 66-67) Voucher cited: Fosberg 31184
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced invasive	Fosberg, F. R. (1955) (p. 20) Voucher cited: Fosberg 31184 (US)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced invasive	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 125) Rare.
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced invasive	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 196) Vouchers cited: Hassall 159 (SUVA), Swarbrick 9557 (BRIU)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Angaur (Ngeaur) Island		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (pp. 250-251)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 102)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Peleliu (Beliliou) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (pp. 250-251)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Peleliu (Beliliou) Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 106)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Peleliu (Beliliou) Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie (2009) (p. 65) Voucher: Lorence 9750 (PTBG, BISH, BNM, NY, US)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Peleliu (Beliliou) Island		Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.) (1978) (voucher ID: BNM 1399) Taxon name on voucher: Scoparia dulcis L.
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Peleliu (Beliliou) Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2008) (voucher ID: PTBG 43) Taxon name on voucher: Scoparia dulcis L.
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 68)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced invasive	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 441) A ubiquitous weed in and about towns throughout the settled areas at low and medium altitudes.

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)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 327)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 68)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 327)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	El Salvador (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 327)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 327)
China China	China (People's Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 327)
China China	Hong Kong	introduced invasive	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 248) In wasteland.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 68)
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 189)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 68)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 327)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 78) Naturalised
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 327)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 327)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 68)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 68)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced invasive	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 127)
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1993) (p. 37)
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island	introduced invasive	Rivers, Julie (2004) (p. 5)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Scoparia dulcis, please let us know.