Family: Lythraceae

High Risk Traits:

• Produces spines or thorny stems
  
• Unpalatable to grazing animals (low palatability)
  
• Host for recognized pests and pathogens (e.g., whiteflies)
  
• Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions (including shallow, infertile, alkaline)
  
• Self-compatible (capable of self-pollination)
  
• Prolific seed production (up to ~1,600 seeds per fruit)
  
• Regrows from base (suckering), tolerates mutilation
  
• Intentionally dispersed by people (widely cultivated)
  
• Bird-dispersed seeds, survive gut passage
  
• Naturalized beyond native range (Mediterranean region)

Low Risk Traits:

• No evidence of allelopathic, parasitic, or toxic properties
  
• No vegetative spread