Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_acacia_confusa
Formosan koa / Taiwan acacia
Acacia confusa
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About Formosan koa / Taiwan acacia
Formosan koa / Taiwan acacia (Acacia confusa) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. Native to Taiwan and the Philippines and now naturalized across parts of the tropical Pacific. On Kauaʻi it is documented as naturalized and as a planted forestry tree; public location is intentionally limited to island level.
Kauaʻi evidence
Taxonomic identity, tree form, diagnostic morphology and island occurrence use the linked reviewed sources. Historical planting, cultivation, naturalization and invasive status are separate. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence. The 1918–1959 Kauaʻi reforestation working register records 13,643 plants under Acacia confusa across 12 entries dated 1928–1958. These are recorded planting quantities, not counts of surviving trees, and they do not by themselves establish current persistence, naturalization, or ecological impact. Source: Kauaʻi Reforestation Plantings 1918–1959 working register (user-supplied; reconciled 6 October 2026).
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Acacia confusa
- Common names
- Formosan koa · Taiwan acacia · Formosa acacia · fine-leaved wattle · Formosan koa / Taiwan acacia
- Other names
- Acacia confusa · Formosan koa / Taiwan acacia · Formosan koa · Taiwan acacia · Formosa acacia · fine-leaved wattle · Racosperma confusum (Merr.) Pedley
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Recorded on Kauaʻi
- Origin
- Introduced
- Conservation status
- Not yet assessed
- Evidence date
- 2026-10-05
- Evidence limits
- Current extent is unassessed; public locality is island level only.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Not yet assessed
- Food and resource needs
- Not yet assessed
- Reproduction
- Not yet assessed
- Shelter
- Not yet assessed
- Growth form
- Evergreen tree
Threats and conservation
- Monitoring
- Not yet assessed
- Data gaps
- Current population extent and trajectory · Additional species-specific ecological and conservation sources
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Not yet assessed
- Seasonal description
- Formosan koa / Taiwan acacia (Acacia confusa) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. Native to Taiwan and the Philippines and now naturalized across parts of the tropical Pacific. On Kauaʻi it is documented as naturalized and as a planted forestry tree; public location is intentionally limited to island level.
Sources and further reading
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:470039-1
- https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/2/6/2694
- https://www.plantsofhawaii.org/search/Acacia%20confusa
- https://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/publications/pdf/tr75.pdf
- https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/files/2013/02/2015_NK_management_plan_final.pdf
- https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/47617.pdf
- https://doi.org/10.5479/si.32124043