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This is a legacy website maintained as a backup for the Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment Project.

Please visit Plant Pono (https://plantpono.org/) for the most current collection of assessments.

Questions? Please contact hpwra@hawaii.edu for assistance

Welcome to the Hawai‘i Pacific Weed Risk Assessment Site

  • What is the Hawai‘i Pacific Weed Risk Assessment (HPWRA)? It is a screening tool to ask “background questions” about a plant before it is imported or widely planted in Hawai‘i.

  • How does the HPWRA work? Botanists look up published and on-line information to answer 49 questions about a plant’s biology, ecology & invasive tendencies elsewhere. The answers result in a score that predicts whether a plant is likely to be invasive in Hawai‘i or other tropical Pacific islands sharing a similar climate.

  • How accurate is the HPWRA? The HPWRA is 95% accurate in catching the would-be invasive plants and 85% accurate at identifying non-pests.

  • Does it cost anything to use? No. This is a free service to anyone that imports, grows, or sells plants or is otherwise curious about the potential behavior of particular plant. Funding for this program is provided by the Hawaii Invasive Species Council.

  • Am I required to use it? No. The HPWRA is voluntary for people who want to avoid planting or growing potentially invasive species.

  • How can I get a plant screened by the HPWRA? To submit a plant for screening, email the name of the plant to the HPWRA screener at hpwra@hawaii.edu

  • How many plants have been screened by the HPWRA? More than 2100 have been screened to date. Individual assessment reports may be downloaded from the Plant Pono website.