Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

  [   PIER species lists  ]   [   PIER home  ]

Dichanthium caricosum
(L.) A. Camus, 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:  Andropogon caricosus L.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: dan sui cao

English: Antigua haygrass, Nadi bluegrass, angleton grass, roadside bluestem

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Perennial with erect culms to 90 cm tall; blades 5-15 (-20) cm long, 3-6 mm wide; racemes to 10 cm long, glabrous, usually 2, 2 or 3 together, on the jointed rachis; spikelets paired, 2-flowered, only the upper floret of the sessile spikelet perfect, about 5 mm long; lower glume of sessile spikelet lacking midnerve; awn (upper lemma) up to 2-2.5 cm long" (Stone, 1970; pp. 230-231).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  Reportedly introduced as a pasture grass to Wallis and Futuna and now a widespread grass on Wallis (Warea Orapa, pers. com.). In Fiji, "covers large areas from sea level to about 300 m., being very common especially in the dry zones, in pastures, canefields, waste places, and along roadsides. It is an important pasture grass in the dry zone of Viti Levu and in some dry areas it is also used as a lawn grass. Unfortunately, it also becomes a weed of cultivation and waste places" (Smith, 1979; pp. 383-384). Introduced in Guam, "locally persistent, in fields, but not common" (Stone, 1970; pp. 230-231).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Tropical Asia and Malesia" (Smith, 1979; pp. 383-384). "India and Ceylon, Burma, Malaya, and S. China" (Stone, 1970; pp. 230-231).

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. 8)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US)
Saipan
Saipan Island introduced
Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 8)
Cook Islands
Cook Islands
Cook Islands introduced
invasive
McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Naturalized
Fiji
Fiji Islands
Vanua Levu Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Smith, Albert C. (1979) (pp. 383-384)
Vouchers cited: Greenwood 594, DA 8729, DA 8823, DA 8949
Fiji
Fiji Islands
Viti Levu Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Smith, Albert C. (1979) (pp. 383-384)
Vouchers cited: DA 8234, DA 15213, DA 15208, DA 15210, DA 8154, DA 8284, DA 15220, DA 12781, DA 3257, DA 8437, DA 7306, DA 15205, DA 11033, DA 2521, DA 3036, DA 7787, DA 2905
Guam
Guam Island
Guam Island introduced
invasive
Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (pp. 230-231)
Voucher cited: Moore 250
Guam
Guam Island
Guam Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 36)
New Caledonia
New Caledonia Archipelago
Île Grande Terre introduced
invasive
cultivated
MacKee, H. S. (1994)
Voucher cited: Cribs 826
New Caledonia
New Caledonia Archipelago
Île Grande Terre   National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1983) (voucher ID: PTBG 12367)
Taxon name on voucher: Dichanthium caricosum
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)
Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines
Philippine Islands
Philippine Islands   Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 41)
Wallis and Futuna
Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands
Wallis (‘Uvea) Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Orapa, Warea (2005)
Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia (Kingdom 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)
Hill slopes, roadsides; 300-1000 m. Guizhou, Yunnan.
Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Malaysia
Malaysia
Malaysia (country of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore
Singapore
Singapore (Republic of) uncertain if introduced
invasive
Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 33)
Weed of uncertain origin
Thailand
Thailand
Thailand (Kingdom of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam (Socialist Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Dichanthium caricosum, please let us know.


Need more info? Have questions? Comments? Information to contribute? Contact PIER! (pier@hear.org)

  [   PIER species lists  ]   [   PIER home  ]

This page was created on 30 NOV 2005 and was last updated on 7 JUL 2012.