
Koster’s Curse (Miconia crenata), also known as soapbush, is one of the worst invasive plants in Hawaii. Introduced in the 1940s, it has spread across all the islands and its growth habits and prolific seed spread threatens anything in its path.
Ironically, it is named after a sugar planter in Fiji who was believed to have introduced the plants there and shared seeds elsewhere. However, it’s thought that it was actually a neighbor of his, a coffee planter named William Parr, who was the guilty party!
