Family: Lamiaceae

An invasive shrub that spreads aggressively from root suckers. Native to subtropical China, C. chinense is the most common garden escapee in the genus. A pan-tropical weed, C. chinense, is invasive in Central America, South America, Puerto Rico, and other Pacific Islands. Naturalized on all the main Hawaiian Islands, it was already considered a weed in Hawaiʻi by 1917. This plant thrives in areas of deep shared and poor soil. A plantation pest, farmers of coconut, cacao and banana have reported this plant as weedy. In Hawaiʻi, it invades roadsides, disturbed areas, taro paddies, and stream beds. The Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources has designated this species as one of “Hawaiʻi’s Most Invasive Horticultural Plants.”

Description and Dispersal:

• Scented shrub up to 8 ft tall
  
• Heart-shaped leaves (2-12 in long by 2-11 in wide) grow opposite
  
• Clusters of fragrant red and pink flowers (1 in)
  
• Primarily spread by root suckers and vegetative fragmentation