Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR)

Phormium tenax
(Agavaceae)
New Zealand flax, New Zealand hemp, bush flax

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Species description or overview Taxonomy & nomenclature Impacts Control methods Images
Distribution Books Full-text articles Experts Other resources

New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) is a plant up to 6 feet tall with smooth, leathery, sword-shaped leaves that grow clumped in a fan shape.  Native to New Zealand, Phormium tenax was introduced to Hawaiian Islands as an ornamental plant in the late 1800s. It was introduced to Molokai in the late 1960s or early 1970s. 

Species description or overview

Report on Phormium tenax as an invasive species on The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii's (TNCH's) Kamakou Preserve (Molokai) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
A report of Phormium tenax as an invasive species on Kamakou Preserve (Molokai) by The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii is available online.

Phormium tenax information from PIER
Information on Phormium tenax as relevant to Pacific Islands is provided by the Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk project (PIER).

Phormium tenax description and ecology from GISD (ISSG)
A species description and information about the ecology of Phormium tenax as an invasive species is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).

Taxonomy & nomenclature

ITIS nomenclature info for Phormium tenax
Nomenclatural information about Phormium tenax is provided by ITIS.

Impacts

Report on Phormium tenax as an invasive species on The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii's (TNCH's) Kamakou Preserve (Molokai) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
A report of Phormium tenax as an invasive species on Kamakou Preserve (Molokai) by The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii is available online.

Phormium tenax (Agavaceae): species information from GCW
Information on Phormium tenax as relevant to Pacific Islands is provided by the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Phormium tenax impact information from GISD (ISSG)
Impact information regarding Phormium tenax as an invasive species is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).

Control methods

Report on Phormium tenax as an invasive species on The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii's (TNCH's) Kamakou Preserve (Molokai) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
A report of Phormium tenax as an invasive species on Kamakou Preserve (Molokai) by The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii is available online.

Phormium tenax management information from GISD (ISSG)
Management information for Phormium tenax as an invasive species is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).

Images

Images of Phormium tenax (Agavaceae) (New Zealand flax)
Links to high-resolution free images of Phormium tenax (Agavaceae) (New Zealand flax) by Forest & Kim Starr (USGS) are available here.

Phormium tenax information from the Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands  new posting 
Information about Phormium tenax in Hawaii is available from the Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands.

Phormium tenax images from PIER
Images of Phormium tenax provided by the Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk project (PIER).

Distribution

Phormium tenax information from the Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands  new posting 
Information about Phormium tenax in Hawaii is available from the Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands.

Plants of Hawaii: Phormium tenax -- MAPS
online

Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy (2000) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
The status of invasive plants, vertebrates, arthropods, molluscs, and crustaceans, and options for a regional invasive species strategy for the South Pacific are presented in this series of articles from the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, 2000.

New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) overview from the Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC)
Flax's description, impacts, images, and distribution in Hawaii are from HISC's high-profile invasive pests site.

Phormium tenax worldwide distribution from GISD (ISSG)
Worldwide distribution information about Phormium tenax is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).

Books

Turning the tide: The eradication of invasive species (proceedings of the International Conference on Eradication of Island Invasives)
Veitch, C.R. and M.N. Clout (eds.) . 2002. Turning the tide: The eradication of invasive species (proceedings of the International Conference on Eradication of Island Invasives). IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. vii + 414pp. ISBN: 2-8317-0682-3.

Full-text articles

Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawaii: Management and research
Stone, Charles P., Clifford W. Smith, and J. Timothy Tunison (eds.) . 1992. Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawaii: Management and research. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit. ISBN: 0-8248-1474-6.

Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy
South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP). Sherley, Greg (ed.) . 2000. Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. Apia, Samoa: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme. ISBN: 982-04-0214-X.

Turning the tide: The eradication of invasive species (proceedings of the International Conference on Eradication of Island Invasives)
Veitch, C.R. and M.N. Clout (eds.) . 2002. Turning the tide: The eradication of invasive species (proceedings of the International Conference on Eradication of Island Invasives). IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. vii + 414pp. ISBN: 2-8317-0682-3.

Experts

Phormium tenax contacts from GISD (ISSG)
Contact information for experts on Phormium tenax as an invasive species is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).

Other resources

Phormium tenax references from GISD (ISSG)
References regarding Phormium tenax as an invasive species is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).

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The Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) project is currently funded by the Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) through PIERC (USGS) with support from HCSU (UH-Hilo). More details are available online. Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)
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