Invasive species field walk in ethnobotany

A 15:30 no roll call, cold open saw the class start with three students. Others caught up during the walk. 

Miconia crenata

The decision to go with a field walk and not the presentation was driven by good weather, a desire to make the encounters with invssives real, and because botany had just done this as sn indoor lecture. Botany had already been excused, which trimmed the class size by six students..

Heterotis rotundifolia

Although the road poses a risk, the best collection of invasives is along the road. Every plant save one was an invasive. There is a small forest of Spathodea campanulata growing there, a carpet of Heterotis rotundifolia, a fringe of Hellenia speciosa, Clerodendrum quadriloculare, and Ischaemum polystachyum.

Hellenia speciosa

The only non-invasive plant is the native plant Glochidion ramiflorum, known locally as mwehk.

Hellenia speciosa

The cold open meant a photographic roll call. Jinisha, Carmegarose, and Geneva. 

Hartsey, Baldezzar, Keanu, Joseph, Alex, and Allen Ray.

Joseph, Alex, and Allen Ray. From here the walk proceeded west. Volkameria inermis is considered invasive in some other places, but not on Pohnpei where ilau is an important medicine plant. Falcataria falcata is also considered invasive elsewhere, but here on Pohnpei the tree keeps the pressure off of native and endemic trees. Falcataria falcata is tuhke en kerosin - the firewood tree. Senna alata was mentioned as a native, as was Dicranopteris linearis. Walking west the class encountered Acacia auriculiformis. 

Melastoma malabathricum is often mistaken for Miconia crenata but Melastoma malabathricum is a native plant, pisetikimei.

Another native plant with medicinal uses, Ipomoea littoralis. The class wrapped up at this plant. There are a few observations from the walk on iNaturalist.