Family: Taccaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Bat flower (Tacca chantrieri), also known as cat’s whiskers, is a striking tropical perennial native to Assam, southern China, and Peninsular Malaysia. It is prized for its unusual, bat-shaped dark purple to black flowers with long, whisker-like bracts that can reach over a foot in length. The plant thrives in warm, humid, shaded environments similar to its native forest understory. Because of its dramatic appearance, it is grown primarily as an ornamental in botanical gardens, shade gardens, and specialty plant collections. While it has limited traditional medicinal uses in parts of its native range, it is valued mainly for its unique ornamental appeal.

Risks & Threats
Although bat flower is not known to be naturalized in Hawaiʻi, it possesses traits that warrant continued evaluation. It is well adapted to humid tropical climates, produces seeds, and can persist in shaded forest-like habitats, suggesting the potential to establish outside cultivation under favorable conditions. At present, there is little evidence that it behaves invasively, but its compatibility with Hawaiʻi’s environment means ongoing evaluation is needed to determine whether it could become a concern. Gardeners are encouraged to plant responsibly, monitor for any signs of spread beyond cultivated areas, and avoid introducing it into natural forests or other sensitive habitats.

High Risk Traits:

• Self-compatible; highly selfing (up to 86% selfed seed)
  
• Produces viable seed readily
  
• Vegetative reproduction via tubers/rhizomes
  
• Geophyte with underground storage organs
  
• Widely cultivated as ornamental (intentional dispersal)
  
• Bird-dispersed fleshy fruits
  
• Seeds survive gut passage
  
• Native to tropical/subtropical climates
  
• Repeated introductions outside native range

Low Risk Traits:

• Not a documented weed
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Not wind- or water-dispersed
  
• Unlikely to be dispersed unintentionally