Family: Acanthaceae

An invasive ornamental vine. Native to Malaysia and Africa, Chinese violet has been in cultivation since 1898. The common name, Chinese violet, is misleading as A. gangetica is not native to China. In fact, it is considered invasive in parts of China. Other places that list Chinese violet as invasive include: Guam, Fiji, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Hawaiʻi. Florida lists this plant as noxious. The first record of naturalization for Hawaiʻi occurred in 1925 in O’ahu. Today, it has escaped cultivation on every island.

Description and Dispersal:

• Perennial, clambering or trailing herb (1 to 3 m in length)
  
• Quadrangular stems
  
• Opposite leaves
  
• Flowers are funnel shaped and range in color from pale yellow to purple
  
• Seeds are dispersed from explosive capsules
  
• Long distance dispersal by humans
  
• Reproduces from seed, rhizomes and by vegetative fragments

High Risk Traits:

• Naturalized weed in tropics/subtropics
  
• Tolerates varied soils, drought, and shade
  
• Repeatedly introduced as ornamental
  
• Reproduces by seed and vegetatively
  
• Tolerates cutting/mutilation
  
• Forms persistent seed bank
  
• Smothers low vegetation
  
• Host to crop pest nematodes

Low Risk Traits:

• No spines/thorns/burrs
  
• Not parasitic or allelopathic
  
• Palatable to livestock
  
• Non-toxic to animals/humans
  
• Poor natural dispersal (no wind/water/bird dispersal)
  
• Controllable with herbicides/grazing