Family: Verbenaceae
Ornamental trees that spread from initial plantings. Native to Central America and the Caribbean, C. caudatum, commonly called fiddlewood, is naturalized on Oʻahu, Kaua’i, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island. The Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources has designated both these species as one of Hawaiʻi’s Most Invasive Horticultural Plants.
Fiddlewood was introduced to Hawai’i in 1931 by the Hawai’i Sugar Planter Association Arboretum (now Lyon Arboretum). Ironically, its original use was to feed nonnative birds, the same frugivorous birds that spread so many invasive species in Hawai’i, including fiddlewood. There was and still is plenty of food for these invasive species dispersers. Spreading rapidly from initial plantings, fiddlewood was widely planted in Oahu as a street tree.
As a shade-tolerant, bird-dispersed species, fiddlewood forms dense thickets that shade out native and other more desirable species. This tree is very susceptible to wind damage in cultivation, especially when young. Lastly, this species is a host to the black twig borer, a pest that can destroy coffee farms and make cultivated plants look unhealthy.
Description and Dispersal:
- Trees up to 50 ft tall
- Smooth leaves (5 in long by 1.5 in wide) glossy on top and dull underneath
- Small white bell-shaped flowers ground on tail-like clusters (up to 4 in)
- Fruit grows in cylindrical clusters, matures to orange, then black
High Risk Traits:
- Elevation range exceeds 1000 m, demonstrating environmental versatility
- Thrives in tropical climates
- Naturalized on Oahu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai, Hawaiian Islands
- Environmental weed in mesic to wet forests
- Other Citharexylum species have become invasive
- Light-demanding, but does tolerate and invade shaded forest understory
- Forms dense thickets
- Reproduces by seeds, and roots at nodes when contacting ground
- Seeds dispersed by birds and intentionally by people
- Some herbicides may be ineffective at control
Low Risk Traits:
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns or burrs)
- Ornamental and medicinal uses
- Reportedly dioecious
