Family: Asteraceae

High Risk Traits:

• Thrives in wet tropical climates
  
• Widely naturalized in the Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere
  
• Pasture weed that reduces forage for livestock
  
• Environmental weed that threatens endangered species
  
• Other Elephantopus species have become invasive
  
• Relatively unpalatable to livestock
  
• Hairs can cause skin irritation
  
• Tolerates many soil types
  
• Able to form dense ground cover
  
• Reproduces by seed
  
• Seeds dispersed by wind, water, attached to animals, machinery and probably as a contaminant of other pasture seed
  
• Prolific seed production (densities unknown)
  
• Seeds may persist in soil for 1-2 years

Low Risk Traits:

• Unarmed (no spines, thorns or burrs)
  
• Medicinal uses
  
• Reported to be indifferent to light requirements, but appears to thrive in high light environments
  
• Not reported to spread vegetatively
  
• Herbicides may provide effective control
  
• Cultivation and fire may provide effective control
  
• Biocontrol agents released (effectiveness uncertain)