Figure 3.19. The escaped ornamental,
Impatiens walleriana, in flower with light-
tolerant ferns along the road in the
Monteverde Preserve. Photograph by Gregory
Dimijian.species include Conyza canadensis (Asteraceae), a
widespread weed on disturbed soil, and Eriobotrya
japonica (Rosaceae, Loquat), whose seedlings occa-
sionally establish in pasture and roadside habitats.
Hedychium coronarium (Zingiberaceae, White Ginger),
with large, white, hawk moth-pollinated flowers,
grows in marshy pastures and wet ditches. Psidium
guajava (Myrtaceae, Guayaba, Guava), with seeds dis-
persed by horses and humans, is a self-sustaining pest
in pastures. Rubus roseifolius (Rosaceae, Thimble-
berry), from East Asia, is a common pasture weed.
Solanum quitoense (Solanaceae, "Naranjilla"), from
Ecuador, has escaped from cultivation. Taraxacum
officinale (Asteraceae, Dandelion), is now invading.
Youngia japonica (Asteraceae), which looks like a
delicate dandelion, grows in parking lots, lawns, and
flower beds.
Some of the common introduced grasses (Poaceae)
of the area are Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda Grass), C.
nlemfuensis ("Estrella," African Star Grass), Digitaria
abyssinica (Finger Grass, Crab Grass), Hyparrhenia
rufa ("Jaragua"), Melinis minutiflora (Molasses Grass),
Pennisetum purpureum ("Gigante," Elephant Grass),
Sporobolus indicus ("Pitilla," Smut Grass), and Steno-
taphrum secundatum ("San Agustm," Lawn Grass;
see Chap. 11, Agriculture).3.1.9. Resources for
Plant Identification
An updated plant list for the Monteverde area with
authors, voucher collection numbers, and information
on distribution, growth form, and pollination is pro-
vided in Appendix 1 (Fig. 3.20). An Introduction to
Cloud Forest Trees: Monteverde, Costa Rica (Haber et
al. 1996) provides keys, descriptions, and illustrations
of 88 common tree species at Monteverde. The book-
let Common Flowering Plants of the Monteverde
Cloud Forest Reserve (Zuchowski 1996) includes de-
scriptions and illustrations of 50 species that are con-63 Plants and Vegetation