Holcus lanatus L., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Risk assessment results:  Reject, score: 15 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Holcus argenteus C. Agardh ex Roem. & Schult.; Notholcus lanatus (L.) Nash ex Hitchc.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: rong mao cao

English: Yorkshire fog, common velvet grass, creeping soft grass, fog grass, meadow softgrass, soft meadow grass, velvet grass, woolly soft grass

French: foin de mouton, heno blanco, holoque laineuse, houlque velue

Japanese: shiragegaya

Korean: udanpul

Spanish: grama vellosa, heno blanco, holco velloso, pasto velludo

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Perennials; culms 30-60 cm tall, velvety canescent.  Sheaths 6-12 cm long, striate, velvety canescent; ligule membranous, 1-2 mm long, narrowly lacerate, with short hairs at apex; blades 10-20 cm long, 4-8 mm wide, velvety canescent, the midrib prominent.  Inflorescences silvery to purplish, paniculate, contracted, sometimes almost spike-like, 8-15 cm long, occasionally enclosed within the uppermost sheath; spikelets 4-4.5 mm long, short-pedicellate; glumes 4-4.5 mm long, keeled, the keels hirsute, otherwise scabrous, first glume 1-nerved, 0.5-0.7 mm wide from keel to margin, second glume 3-nerved, 1-1.2 mm wide from keel to margin; lemma of perfect floret ca. 2 mm long, rather broad, slightly keeled, the keel hirtellous, lemma of staminate floret 2-2.5 mm long, narrow, acute, indistinctly keeled, the keel minutely hirtellous, apex with a hooked awn ca. 1.5 mm long; palea 1.7-2 mm long, minutely hirtellous at apex.  Caryopsis pale brown, fusiform, ca. 1.6 mm long, laterally compressed, trigonous, with an adaxial groove"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1551).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  "Coastal grassland and scrub, disturbed sites.  Where native, this grass is found in mesic to wet meadows, open forests, reed swamps, grassland, and open woods.  It is tolerant of a wide range of soils.  Itis invasive because it forms dense swards that reduce native species richness and eliminate native grasses and forbs"  (Weber, 2003; p. 201).

In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in wet, disturbed areas such as pastures, grasslands, mesic shrubland and along roadsides, 760-3,250 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1551); "suppresses establishment of natives in higher-elevation mesic areas"  (Motooka et al., 2003).

Propagation:  "The grass is a prolific seed producer, and the seeds are dispersed by wind"  (Weber, 2003; p. 201).

Native range:  Europe (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1551). Europe, northern Africa, western Asia; 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
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1551)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1551)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1551) East Maui.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Meidell, J. Scott/Bartlett, R. T. (1999) (p. 10) West Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H79810 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1551)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1551)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Kermadec Islands	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 315) "Roadsides, waste land, pasture and grassland, along tracks or streams in forest, often in damp or swampy ground; sea level to montane, rarely subalpine".
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive	Sykes, W. R. (1977) (p. 168)

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	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Naturalised
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria Naturalised
British Columbia (province of Canada) Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Open ground, meadows, moist places; an adventive occasionally cultivated as a meadow grass. Jiangxi, Yunnan.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 83)
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 192)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 315) "Roadsides, waste land, pasture and grassland, along tracks or streams in forest, often in damp or swampy ground; sea level to montane, rarely subalpine".
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Open ground, meadows, moist places; an adventive occasionally cultivated as a meadow grass.
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Naturalisé/±envahissant"
Mascarene Islands Mascarene Islands (Mauritius, La Reunion, Rodrigues)	Mascarene Islands	introduced	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
Canada Canada	Canada	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized

Control:  Additional control information from the Bugwood Wiki.

Physical:  Intensive mowing or grazing suppresses the establishment and spread of this grass"  (Weber, 2003; p. 201).

Chemical: "Susceptible to foliar application of glyphosate at 1-1.5% product (Hank Oppenheimer, Maui Pine)" (Motooka et al., 2003).  "Effective herbicides are atrazine or diuron"  (Weber, 2003; p. 201).