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LIHUE — An unwelcome plant has been detected along a highway in Kauai.
The Garden Island reports the Kauai Invasive Species Committee is taking steps to eradicate mule’s foot fern growing along Kuhio Highway near Kalihiwai Bridge.
The fern is native to Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Australia and New Guinea.
The Global Invasive Species Database says the fern can establish dense stands that displace and shade out native plants. The giant fern is cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental.
Kauai Invasive Species Committee field crew supervisor Larry Kaneholani says the committee is seeking permission to kill the plant.
He says it’s also growing on two private property sites, where it’s the centerpiece of people’s landscaping.