Family: Ochnaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Sauvagesia erecta (creole tea) is a small herbaceous plant native to Mexico, tropical America, tropical Africa, and Madagascar. It typically grows as a low, upright herb with slender stems, narrow leaves, and delicate pink to white flowers. In parts of its native and introduced range, it has been used in traditional herbal remedies and is sometimes grown as an ornamental due to its attractive flowers and ability to thrive in warm, humid environments. In Hawaiʻi, it has become naturalized on Molokaʻi and Maui, where it is able to persist and reproduce outside of cultivation.

Risks & Threats
Sauvagesia erecta is naturalized in Hawaiʻi and possesses traits that are cause for concern. It can establish in disturbed sites and moist habitats, producing numerous seeds that may facilitate spread into natural areas. Although the full extent of its impacts in Hawaiʻi is still being documented, its ability to reproduce and persist outside cultivation suggests the potential to compete with native vegetation and contribute to ecological changes in sensitive tropical island ecosystems. Because of these risks, this species could detrimentally impact tropical island environments if its distribution expands. Where possible, Plant Pono recommends choosing low-risk or native alternatives for landscaping and restoration projects. In areas where Sauvagesia erecta is already established, landowners and managers should prevent its further spread and avoid introducing it to new locations to help minimize additional negative impacts.

High Risk Traits:

• Elevation range exceeds 1000 m, demonstrating environmental versatility
  
• Thrives in tropical climates
  
• Naturalized on Molokai and Maui (Hawaiian Islands)
  
• A pantropical weed of roadsides and pastures
  
• Reproduces by seeds
  
• Self-compatible
  
• Annual and perennial life cycle
  
• Autochorous, but distribution in heavily trafficked areas and along streams likely facilitates secondary dispersal
  
• Gaps in biological and ecological information may limit accuracy of risk prediction

Low Risk Traits:

• Despite designation as a pantropical weed, there are generally no descriptions of detrimental impacts
  
• Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
  
• Non-toxic
  
• Not reported to spread vegetatively