Family: Asteraceae

Vernonanthura polyanthes (assa peixe, assa peixe branco) is a shrub or small tree native to Brazil. Its leaves are used in folk medicine to treat respiratory diseases and the flowers are fried and eaten as a snack in its native range. It is also used as a nectar source for honey bee farms. The plant iis reported to be naturalized in Zimbabwe and Mozambique and has been found as naturalized over 1000 acres on East Maui in May 2021. It is an aggressive colonizer of open pasture, roadsides, and agricultural fields. It is highly flammable and rapidly regrows after fire and cutting. All of these factors in addition to its wind dispersed seeds, make it a difficult plant to control once established.

High Risk Traits:

• Elevation range exceeds 1000 m, demonstrating environmental versatility
  
• Thrives, and capable of spreading, in regions with tropical climates
  
• Naturalized in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and detected in East Maui, Hawaii (May 2021) over a 1000-acre area
  
• A disturbance adapted weed with detrimental effects on pasture productivity, tree plantations, and potentially natural areas
  
• Other species are reported to be invasive
  
• Potentially allelopathic
  
• Seeds in native range reported to be host of pathogenic fungi that impact plants of agricultural importance
  
• Flammable, and reported to increase fire risk in Mozambique
  
• Shade-tolerant (able to establish in shady, disturbed forest)
  
• Forms dense thickets
  
• May hybridize with other species in genus
  
• Reproduces by prolific, wind-dispersed seeds
  
• Reported to grow rapidly (but time to maturity unspecified)
  
• Reported to tolerate and recover after cutting, frost, and fire

Low Risk Traits:

• Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
  
• Not reported to be toxic (used medicinally)
  
• Valued by beekeepers as a honey source pollinated by honey bees
  
• Herbicides reported to provide effective control