The Salvinia molesta's (Salvinaceae) common name is the kariba weed, or aquarium water moss. It is an alien species that came from Brazil. It is a small floating aquatic fern. It is bright green or brown. The salvinia can form dense mats that block out the sunlight cutting off the sun's ability for making oxygen for plants and fish.

The salvinia is a class A noxious plant which means that it's an annoying plant that is hard to get rid of. There are three ways of getting rid of salvinia; molesta physically, chemically, and to take them away. The photos on the left and on the bottom are dried up Salvinia molesta found in Kaelepulu pond.

Another reason that the salvinia is annoying is that fragments of it can break off and the wind carries them to another lake or pond. Then they start growing all over again. It is believed that the Salvinia molesta was released into the pond by people who wanted to get rid of it. A recent article about a campaign to rid the pond of the pesky plant appeared in Hawaii's newspaper, the Honolulu Star Bulletin.