Pest Photo

The Nature Conservancy Archive, The Nature Conservancy, Bugwood.org

Melastomatid weed

Miconia calvescens

Melastomatid weed (Miconia calvescens) is an invasive plant. It is a native of Centeral and South America and was first detected in Hawaii in 1990.

This is one of the worst invasive plants in Hawaii, where it is commonly referred to as the "purple plague", and threatens to destroy entire ecosystems.

For more information about this plant pest, see the CABI data sheet.