Family: Asteraceae
Native to the beaches and stream beds of Mexico, Central America, and some Caribbean Islands, wedilia spreads fast and crowds out low-growing plants. Sphagneticola trilobata, commonly called by its old scientific name wedilia, is cultivated and considered invasive throughout the tropics. Imported to Hawai’i as an ornamental around 1970, wedilia has naturalized on all the main Hawaiian Islands. While rarely making fruit, wedelia aggressively spreads vegetatively. The prostrate growth fosters the creation of new plants where each node touches the ground and roots; dense thickets are easily made. Over planted in Hawai’i, this species has broken out of cultivated confines to invade lawns, forested edges, and roadsides. Dense wedilia thickets shade out and out-compete with other more desirable species. Wedilia is somewhat toxic to animals, not a good forage. For these reasons, 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.” It is one of the “Worlds 100 worst invaders“.
Description and Dispersal:
- A creeping, matted herb that grows up to 13 ft long
- Glossy, serrated leaves, 3.5 in long and 2 in wide
- Daisy like 1 in yellow flowers
- Reproduces vegetatively
- Seeds are wind dispersed
