Family: Fabaceae
High Risk Traits:
- Naturalized outside native range (Hawaii, Pacific islands)
- Agricultural weed (Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Vanuatu)
- Major environmental weed (Tonga)
- Forms dense, fire-prone thickets
- Tolerates wide range of soil types
- Self-pollinating; viable seed with high germination (>90%)
- Short generation time (can grow as annual)
- Prolific seed production (~257,000 seeds/kg)
- Persistent hard-seed bank
- Tolerates mutilation, grazing, and fire
- Nitrogen-fixing
Low Risk Traits:
- No spines, thorns, or burrs
- No allelopathy or parasitism
- Palatable to grazing animals
- Not toxic to humans
- Not shade tolerant
- Not climbing or smothering
- No vegetative fragmentation
- No wind, water, bird, or external animal dispersal
- Controlled by herbicides
