Invasive plant species of Palikir walk and talk

The invasive species walk also doubled as a chance to review the ethnobotanically useful plants around the east end of the campus. A single sheet had the potentially invasive plants on one side, and the the final exam flora list on the other. Note the while OSX Safari will display the columnar layout, Safari will not print that layout. FireFox was deployed to print the back side final exam flora list.

The walk started out at the Terminalia catappa. I used the dirt around the heavily shading tree to note the concept of shade tolerance. Then I walked over to the Falcataria moluccana, covering also Sphagneticola trilobata. Then we headed north across the road to look at Mimosa pudica, Ischaemum polystachum, Clerodendrum inerme (not an invasive here, medicinal), and the toxic Ipomoea carnea. Near the Ipomea was Pennisetum purpureum.



On my way across the main road to the Clerodendrum quadriloculare I noticed Hippobroma longiflora. There I covered allelopathy. I headed back west across the road to cover Dissotis rotundifolia.


From there we headed back towards the pitch. I was pleasantly (or perhaps unpleasantly) surprised to discover that Cheilocostus speciosus had survived the bulldozing of the area. Garden only invasive plants and your garden can never fail.



Further along I found a second patch of Ipomea carnea and covered Merremia peltata as a plant that is more of a sign of a lazy farmer than an invasive. Iohl is medicinal on Pohnpei. Out on the edge of the pitch I again found Clidemia hirta and Melasatoma malabathricum var. marianum.

Melasatoma malabathricum var. marianum


Sonja, Rebseen

Reh padil with a tuhke en karosin forest developing around the students: Kerat and Ravelyn sittign down in the reh padil, Sweena, Helen, Sunet, Twain, Stewart, and Cherlylinda standing.

An invasive species starter garden.


Chromolaena is struggling to come back because of a gall inducing biocontrol.


I was also surprised to see this Acacia auriculiformis seedling. Up until now the only specimen was an eighteen year old tree up behind the FSM China Friendship Sports Center.


Twain, Angela, and Darren


Not invasive, native. Lycopodiella cernua showing its ability to establish itself in nutrient-free clay. Minerals and sun are what powers lycopodium.

I wrapped up with Pterocarpus indicus (narra) noting that it was not invasive, that one should have gone earlier.

The list of potential invasives on campus:

Acacia auriculiformis: a tree that can spread by suckers. A new arrival on the east end of the football pitch. A good example of why a plant might be considered invasive.
Ageratum conyzoides. Pwisehn kou (cow dung weed). Considered useful.
Allamanda cathartica var “Hendersonii” Angle's trumpet
Bidens alba: Begggar's tick.
Cheilocostus speciosus (Costus speciosus) crêpe ginger. Shade tolerant. Chromolaena odorata. Siam weed. wisolmat en rehnwel.
Chromalaena odorata. Pohnpeian: wisolmat.  Global in distribution. Possibly came in on a tractor, maybe in dirt in its treads, spread around the island when the road was bulldozed.
Clerodendrum paniculatum. Chine pagoda flower shrub.
Clerodendrum quadriloculare. Shade tolerant. Aggressive. Possibly allelopathic.
Clidemia hirta. Riahpen roat. Shade tolerant. Aggressive. Studies suggest allelopathic. Do not confuse with Melastoma malabathricum var. marianum (pisetikimei).
Commelina diffusa, a member of the wandering jew family.
Dissotis rotundifolia. Melastomataceae. Also known as Spanish shawl, Pinklady, trailing dissotis. May also be known as trailing Tibouchina.
Falcataria moluccana. Moluccan Albizia. Nitrogen fixing, fuel wood tree. Useful.
Hippobroma longiflora Star of Bethlehem. Invasive. Toxic.
Ipomoea carnea. Bush morning glory. Toxic.
Ischaemum polystachum: Reh padil. Invasive grass introduced by Japanese. They thought it might be useful for cattle food but NOT!
Leucaena leucocephala. Dangan-dangan. Highly invasive on Saipan, less so here. None directly on campus at present.
Melasatoma malabathricum var. marianum: A native plant. Potentially invasive but useful. Pisetikimei.
Merremia peltata. iohl, puhlah.  A sign of a lazy farmer?
Mimosa pudica. Sensitive plant. Invasive. Worse: Mimosa invisa. The later forms impenetrable thorn thickets.
Pterocarpus indicus. Narra. Rosewood. Not invasive on Pohnpei.
Nymphaea spp. Water lily. Potentially highly invasive of fresh waterways. Not on campus at present.
Pennisetum purpureum: Elephant grass. brought in by the Japanese who mistakenly believed cattle would eat it.
Spathodea campanulata: African tulip tree. Birds spread the seeds. Very aggressive tree. Hard to kill.
Sphagneticola trilobata (Wedelia trilobata): allegedly brought from Hawaii by women down at the Catholic mission around 1970 who thought it would look nice in their gardens. All over the island now. Possibly allelopathic. Singapore daisy.

An abbreviated incomplete and partial flora of ethnobotanicals in and around campus:

ALO Alocasia macrorrhizos
ALP Alpinia carolinensis
ANA Ananas comosus
ANG Angiopteris evecta
ANN Annona muricata
ARE Areca catechu
ART Artocarpus altilis
ASP Asplenium nidus
BAM Bambusa vulgaris
BAR Barringtonia racemosa
CAL Calophyllum inophyllum
CAM Campnosperma brevipetiolata
CAN Cananga odorata
CAR Carica papaya
CIN Cinnamomum carolinense
CIT Citrus aurantifolia
CLE Clerodendrum inerme
COC Cocos nucifera
COF Coffea arabica
COL Colocassia esculanta
COR Cordyline fruticosa
CYC Cyclosorus maemonensis
CYM Cymbopogon citratus
CYR Cyrtosperma merkusii
DAV Davallia solida
DIC Dicranopteris linearis
EGU Eugenia uniflora
FAL Falcataria moluccana
GRJ Gardenia jasminoides
GRT Gardenia taitensis
GLO Glochidion ramiflorum
HBR Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
HIB Hibiscus tiliaceus
INO Inocarpus fagifer
IXO Ixora casei
JAS Jasminum sambac
LYC Lycopodiella cernua
MAC Macaranga carolenensis
MAG Magnifera indica
MEL Melastoma malabathicum var. marianum
MER Merremia peltata
MET Metroxylon amicarum
MIC Microsorum scolopendria
MOR Morinda citrifolia
MUS Musa x paradisiaca spp.
NPH Nephrolepis acutifolia
OCI Ocimum tenuiflorum
PPM Piper methysticum
PPN Piper nigrum
PPP Piper ponapense
PLU Plumeria obtusa
PON Ponapea ledermanniana
PRE Premna obtusifolia
PGU Psidium guajava
PNG Piper nigrum
SAC Saccharum officinarum
SSP Saccharum spontaneum
SCA Scaevola taccada
SEL Selaginella kanehirae
SEN Senna alata [formerly Cassia alata]
SPA Spathoglottis plicata
TER Terminalia catappa
SEL Selaginella kanehirae
SPH Sphaeropteris nigricans [Cyathea nigricans]
XAN Xanthosoma sagittifolium

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