Adapted from Flora Zambesiaca (2014)
Related invasive species
- Centella asiatica
Related Farm Practice
- Paddies
- Invasive species
- Forestry
- Flora
- Hosts
- Introduced species
C. asiatica is a low-growing perennial with a pan-tropical distribution. It can spread to form a dense ground cover, desirable in some situations but unwelcome in others. It is recorded as invasive in a number of Pacific islands to which it has been introduced and is classed as High Risk (score 7) by PIER (2014), but the situations in which it is causing problems are not clear. It is not especially competitive in crops but may affect wild vegetation and biodiversity. C. asiatica is also among a number of species invasive in the Dongting Lake wetlands, Hunan province, China (Hou et al., 2011).
C. asiatica is recorded as a weed in rice paddies, various plantation crops and forestry, but there are no indications of serious crop loss due to C. asiatica. Where it is listed as invasive, some native species are being impacted but little detail has been seen. In Hawaii, C. asiatica is among introduced species which have contributed to the decline of native sedges Carex thunbergii and Carex echinata (University of Hawaii, 1991).