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When visiting Maui, I was surprized how sugar cane spread like weeds in many places around the island. I don't think it was classified as "highly invasive" but

• semicolon_storm 10y ago
  It's probably because sugar cane tends to grow in fields. In Hawaii, a field is already pretty much ecologically ruined. On the Big Island, there are fairly large efforts to reforest areas that were previously clear cut to produce fields for cattle and sugar cane farming. Coincidentally, the only place I've ever seen sugar cane spread like a weed is these clear cut areas, it doesn't seem to be able to spread into forests or diverse ecosystems. As such, it makes sense that it wouldn't be seen as being as invasive as something like a christmasberry tree.
• petergsampson 10y ago
  I live in Maui. You may (and likely) saw "Cane Grass" or Giant Reed[1] (and other varieties of tall weeds that look a lot like sugar cane). This stuff is hard to get rid of; I've had it in my yards here and the roots are thick. [1] http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/invasive-species-profiles/giant-reed/ http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/invasive-species-profiles/g...