Family: Zingiberaceae

High Risk Traits:

• Naturalized beyond native range
  
• Naturalized in Kaua'i, O'ahu, Molokai, Lana'i, Maui, and Hawai'i
  
• Environmental weed in New Zealand, Réunion, Hawaii, and Azores
  
• Forms dense, smothering thickets
  
• Geophyte with large, persistent rhizomes
  
• Reproduces vegetatively via rhizome fragmentation
  
• Produces viable seeds dispersed by birds
  
• Seeds also dispersed by water
  
• Tolerates wide range of soil conditions
  
• Shade-tolerant
  
• Congeneric weed (H. flavescens)
  
• Tolerates mutilation and recovers quickly
  
• Intentionally and unintentionally spread by people
  
• Hybridizes naturally with H. coccineum

Low Risk Traits:

• No allelopathic, parasitic, or toxic properties
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Not a fire hazard
  
• No seed bank evidence
  
• Low seed production (<1000/m²)
  
• No wind or external animal dispersal
  
• Well controlled by herbicides
  
• Has effective natural enemies (e.g., Ralstonia solanacearum)