Family: Arecaceae

High Risk Traits:

• Thrives in tropical climates
  
• Leaf stalks armed with short thorns
  
• Shade-tolerant
  
• Forms pure stands in native range
  
• Seeds dispersed by rodents and intentionally by people
  
• Self-compatible
  
• Limited ecological information makes accurate risk prediction difficult

Low Risk Traits:

• No reports of invasiveness or naturalization, but no evidence of widespread introduction outside native range
  
• Non-toxic
  
• Ornamental
  
• Slow growth rate and long time to reproductive maturity
  
• Disperser limited (but little information available)
  
• Limited seed production