Planted on other tropical islands it has become an invasive species. It grows quickly, and spreads by both seeds and root suckers. Other plants are unable to grow in the shade that it creates. In the Galapagos Islands the tree was planted by farmers as a crop for the quinine. It has become a dominant species on Santa Cruz Island, taking over from the shrub Miconia and Fern-Sedges. It is also invasive in Hawaii on Maui and the Big Island.