Family: Malvaceae
High Risk Traits:
- Thrives, and could potentially spread, in regions with tropical climates
- Potential allelopathic properties
- Shade tolerant
- Reproduces by seeds (facilitating possible naturalization)
- Reaches reproductive maturity in 3 years
- Seeds dispersed by gravity, frugivorous mammals and through intentional cultivation
- Tolerates sever pruning
Low Risk Traits:
- Despite widespread cultivation, no confirmed reports of naturalization or invasiveness outside native range
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
- Heavy shade may inhibit spread
- Largely self-incompatible
- Although bee-pollinated, pollinator limitations may reduce seed set
- Not reported to spread vegetatively
- Large fruit and seeds relatively large and unlikely to be accidentally dispersed
- Seeds recalcitrant and unlikely to form a persistent seed bank