Chloris virgata Sw., Poaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Chloris elegans Kunth

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: hu wei cao

English: feather finger grass, feather windmill grass, feathered chloris, feathertop Rhodes grass, feathertop grass, feathery Rhodes grass, hairy Rhodes grass, oldland grass, showy chloris, sweet grass, woolly-top Rhodes grass

Kosraean: muh-shah-shruh

Spanish: verdillo plumerito, zacate pluma

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Annuals; culms erect or geniculately ascending, up to 10 dm tall, occasionally rooting at lower nodes.  Basal sheaths strongly keeled and often flabellate, glabrous; ligule inconspicuous, membranous, ca. 0.5 mm long; blades flat, 10-30 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, tapering at apex, upper surface scabrous, lower surface glabrous.  Inflorescences of 4-12 digitate, erect to spreading, white to yellowish brown, feathery spikes 2-10 cm long, axils silky villous; spikelets crowded, (2) 3-flowered; first glume 1.5-2.5 mm long, second glume 2.5-4.5 mm long, apex more or less with a short awn-point; first lemma obliquely obovate in side view, 2.5-4 mm long, margins and keel ciliate, apex with a crown of hairs 1.5-4 mm long, awn 5-15 mm long, callus rounded, pilose; palea lanceolate, ca. 0.3 mm long, 2-nerved, apical margin ciliate; second lemma slightly projecting from the side of the fertile lemma, oblong, 2-2.5 mm long, glabrous, with an awn 5-12 mm long; apical lemma an awnless clavate scale 0.5-1.2 mm long.  Caryopsis golden, cylindrical, 1.5-2 mm long."  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1515-1516).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  Aggressive invader of degraded land that out-competes native species (Smith, 2002; p. 72).  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized and common along roadsides, in dry pastures, and in open, mesic shrubland, 0-410 m". (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1515-1516). In New Caledonia, "assez commun en terrains vagues près de Nouméa" (MacKee, 1994; p. 58). Arid lowlands in the Galápagos Islands (McMullen, 1999; p. 240). In Australia, "a variety of habitats, particularly disturbed areas and roadsides; also levee banks, creek lines and gardens" (Smith, 2002; p. 72).

Propagation:  "Seed is dispersed short distance by wind and water, also as a contaminant of hay and by animals".

Native range:  Widespread in the tropics; also cultivated and naturalized (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 7)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Saipan	Saipan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 34)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Española Group	Española Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Floreana Group	Campéon Islet, Floreana Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Floreana Group	Floreana Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Floreana Group	Gardner por Floreana Island, Floreana Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Baltra Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Daphne Mayor Island, Santa Cruz Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Seymour Norte Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Fé Group	Santa Fé Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Rábida Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Santiago Island	possibly introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 10717 (PAP) Adventice
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Makatea (Ma‘atea) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Adventice
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Tikehau (Tikahau) Atoll	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Adventice
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1515-1516)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaho‘olawe Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1515-1516)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1515-1516)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kure Atoll	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1515-1516)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kure Atoll	introduced	Starr, Forest/Martz, Kim/Loope, Lloyd (2001) (p. 10) Previously reported, not observed in this survey.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1515-1516)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Ni‘ihau, Lehua Islet	introduced invasive	Wood, K. R./LeGrande, Maya (2006) (pp. 25-26) Voucher cited: K.R. Wood 11538 (PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1515-1516)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1515-1516) Voucher cited: Munro 127 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Herbst, Derral R./Clayton, W. D. (1998) (p. 21) Voucher cited: Uta‘i 8 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2000) (pp. 14-15) Voucher cited: J. Rémy 26 (BISH)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 34)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 58) Voucher cited: Guillaumin & Baumann 6822
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie (2009) (p. 4) Voucher: Lorence 9816 (PTBG, BNM, BISH, NY, US)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Babeldaob Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2008) (voucher ID: PTBG 109) Taxon name on voucher: Chloris virgata Sw.
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)		Henty, E. E. (1969) (p. 50)
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Midway Atoll	Midway Atoll	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Martz, Kim (2000) (p. 11) Voucher cited: Starr & Martz 990507-5 (BISH)
Vanuatu New Hebrides Islands	Vanuatu (Republic of)		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 89)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	introduced invasive	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (p. 72)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (p. 72)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Common on stony slopes, steppe, sandy riversides, roadsides, fields, plantations, frequent on walls and roofs; sea level to 3700 m. Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Jiangsu, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 52)
Japan Japan	Japan	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Kyushu
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 192)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	Ching-I Peng, ed. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control: 

Physical:  Pull or dig out.

Chemical:  Spray with herbicide (Weber, 2003; p. 103).