Eragrostis elongata (Willd.) Jacq., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Poa elongata Willd.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: shuang yao hua mei cao

English: clustered lovegrass, long love grass

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Perennial. Culms erect, loosely tufted, 20-90 cm tall, 0.5-1 mm in diameter, 2-4-noded. Leaf sheaths usually shorter than internodes, glabrous; ligules 0.3-0.4 mm; leaf blades flat to involute, adaxial surface scabrous, sometimes hairy below, 5-21 cm x 1-3 mm. Panicle spicate to narrowly ovate, 5-30 x 1-4 cm; branches appressed or diverging up to 80° from the rachises with spikelets at base. Spikelets stramineous to greenish or light brown, 3-12 (-20) x 1.5-2.5 mm, 6-25-flowered; subsessile or with a very short pedicel, rachilla fragile. Glumes linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 1-veined, 0.8-2 mm. Lower lemmas lanceolate to ovate, 1.3-2.2 mm. Palea shorter and narrower than the lemmas, hyaline, 1.1-1.7 mm, ciliolate along keel. Stamens 2; anthers 0.2-0.3 mm. Caryopsis cinnamon, ovoid-ellipsoid, 0.4-0.7 mm, smooth to finely reticulate"  (Flora of China online).

"Perennial, panicle very variable, branches usually simple, spikelets very shortly pedicelled rather crowded subparallel linear 1/6-1/10 in. 10-25-flowered, rachilla rather stout, empty gls. ovate-lanceolate acute, I 1-nerved, II 1-3-nerved, flg. gls. ovate-lanceolate very acute nearly flat, keel almost straight, palea strongly curved, keels very stout scabrid.  Stems tufted, stiff, tall or short, stout or slender, simple or branched.  Leaves narrow, strict, flat or convolute; mouth of sheath bearded.  Panicle oblong or ovate, with solitary distant spreading filiform branches, or from the shortening of these subspiciform, rachis glabrous.  Spikelets acute, dark brown or reddish; gl. I 1/25-1/16 in.; II 1/17 in.; flg. gls. usually 1/12 in., firm, lateral nerves rather prominent; rachilla rather stout, internodes 1/50 in.; palea 1/5-1/6 shorter than its gl. Anthers 1/100-1/60 in. in the Indian specimens.  Grain ovoid to subglobose, 1/50 in."  (Hooker, 1897; vol. 7, p. 319).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "adventive along roadsides and in canefields at 250-1,060 m elevation" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1538, 1908).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Australia, Indonesia (Moluccas), Papua New Guinea; cultivated and naturalized elsewhere (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Rapa Nui (Easter) Island	Rapa Nui (Easter) Island (Isla de Pasqua)	native	Skottsberg, Carl (1953) (p. 68)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1538, 1908)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1538, 1908) Voucher cited: Herbst 285 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 45) Vouchers cited: T. Flynn & P. O'Connor 2718 (BISH, PTBG), T. Flynn 745 (PTBG), T. Flynn et al. 2724 (PTBG), W.L. Wagner et al. 5133 (BISH), D. Herbst 285 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2003) (p. 21) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H110140 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Herbst, Derral R./Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 9) Vouchers cited: K. Kawelo et al. s.n. (BISH 695029), K. Kawelo, J. Rohrer & J. Beachy s.n. (BISH 695030)
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 92)
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	native	Hooker, J. D. (1875) (p. (7):319) Native per Hooker, 1897.
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		Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (pp. 88-89) Common in open grasslands at low and medium altitudes.

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)	New South Wales	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Victoria, Western Australia
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	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) Open grasslands, moist places, roadsides; near sea level to 1000 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Jiangxi.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Mollucas
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 144)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 144)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Eragrostis elongata, please let us know.