Family: Verbenaceae

Ornamental trees that spread from initial plantings. Native to Central America and the Caribbean, C. spinosum, commonly called fiddlewood, is naturalized on O’ahu, Molokai, and Maui. 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. In cultivation, this tree is very vulnerable to wind damage, especially when young. Lastly, this species is susceptible to scale.

Description and Dispersal:

• Trees up to 50 ft tall
  
• C. spinosum has larger leaves (8 in long by 4 in wide)
  
• Small orange-yellow flowers growing in clusters up to 12 in long, and the
  
• Fruit grows in cylindrical clusters, orange and red turning black when ripe
  
• Seeds spread by fruit eating birds
  
• Spreads from suckers

High Risk Traits:

• Suited to tropical/subtropical climates
  
• Naturalized beyond its native range
  
• Produces viable seeds prolifically (＞1000 seeds/m² possible)
  
• Bird-dispersed; seeds survive gut passage
  
• Forms dense thickets
  
• Tolerates cutting and regrows from the base
  
• Shade tolerant to some degree
  
• Tolerates a wide range of soil types (acidic, alkaline, sandy, clay, saline)

Low Risk Traits:

• Non-toxic to humans and animals
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Not allelopathic or parasitic
  
• No persistent seed bank (>1 year)
  
• No vegetative reproduction via fragmentation
  
• Not dispersed by wind or water