Book Description

Invasive, alien plants are "uninvited guests" in most of Hawai'i's ecosystems. Native forests are invaded, and their precious native plant species are choked out. Extensive areas of pasture land have been colonized by plants that cannot be grazed. Weeds can be a fire hazard, and they can be painful impediments to access to natural areas. This book describes over 150 plants that are considered weeds under certain--if not, in some cases, most--circumstances. The plant types represented include trees, shrubs, vines and sprawlers, herbs, and grasses and their relatives. Most of the weeds covered are illustrated in color, both on the page where the weed is treated and on spreads of "thumbnail" images, grouped by growth habit category for convenience in quick identification. The text accompanying the photograph of each weed provides a detailed description, outlines its distribution and environmental impact in Hawai'i, and relates what is known about methods for managing it. Reprinted May 2021 with new cover.