Family: Apocynaceae

High Risk Traits:

• Produces abundant, bird-dispersed fruit that can spread beyond planting sites
  
• Forms dense, thorny shrubs that can exclude native vegetation
  
• Tolerates a wide range of conditions, including drought, salt spray, and poor soils
  
• Commonly used as a hedge, increasing propagule pressure
  
• Naturalized in some coastal and lowland habitats outside its native range

Low Risk Traits:

• Slow to moderate growth rate
  
• Does not typically invade intact native forests
  
• Limited seedling establishment in shaded or closed-canopy areas
  
• Primarily spreads near cultivated or disturbed sites
  
• Widely managed in landscaping with predictable growth and form