Family: Malvaceae
High Risk Traits:
- Elevation range exceeds 1000 m, demonstrating environmental versatility
- Thrives in tropical climates
- Widely naturalized (including Kauai, Oahu, and Maui, Hawaiian Islands)
- Disturbance-adapted weed of waste grounds, roadsides, open woodlands, forest margins, coastal dunes, riparian areas, swamps, salt marshes, as well as in pastures and active and abandoned croplands
- Agricultural and pasture weed
- Potential environmental weed
- Other Urena species are invasive weeds
- Alternate host of crop pathogens
- Tolerates many soil types
- Forms dense thickets that exclude other vegetation
- Reproduces by seeds
- Self-fertile
- Reaches maturity in one growing season
- Dispersed by barbed spines on fruits that adhere to clothing and fur
- Seeds also dispersed by water, contaminated soil and/or contaminated agricultural equipment
- May form a persistent seed bank (longevity unspecified)
Low Risk Traits:
- Palatable to browsing/grazing animals (although may be less preferred than other pasture plants)
- Non-toxic
- Prefers full sun and high light environments
- Not reported to spread vegetatively
- Herbicides may provide effective control