Kyllinga polyphylla Willd. ex Kunth., Cyperaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Cyperus aromaticus (Ridl.) Mattf. & Kük.; Kyllinga aromatica Ridley

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: shui wu gong

English: Navua sedge

Samoan: tuise Fiti, tuise tele

Habit:  sedge

Description:  "A medium-sized, clump-forming, rhizomatous sedge; culms closely spaced, 20-50 cm tall, sharply 3-angled.  Leaves mostly basal, acute, ± flat, glabrous; lamina often reduced, to 15 cm long, 3-5 mm wide; sheath and basal scales purplish red.  Bracts 5-7, in a spreading whorl, 8-20 cm long, resembling leaves.  Inflorescence a sessile, subspherical head of spikelets 7-12 mm diameter, green becoming pale brown, often combined with 1-few secondary heads.  Spikelets densely crowded, falcate, compressed, ca 4 mm long, ca 1 mm wide.  Glumes several, the basal pair very short, the next pair as long as and enclosing spikelet, mucronate, keeled; keel toothed.  Nutlet ± lens-shaped, blackish"  (Du Puy, 1993; p. 383).

Habitat/ecology:  "A major weed of improved pastures, but also occurs in crops, gardens, plantations and roadsides.  It grows best in moist fertile soil that is seldom cultivated and in full sunshine"  (Swarbrick, 1997; pp. 16-17). May be a threat to native wetlands.  In Fiji, "a vigorous and noxious weed, occurring near sea level along roadsides, on hillsides and river banks, and in pastures, open swamps, and rice fields"  (Smith, 1979; pp. 260-261). In New Caledonia, "largement répandu; envahissant dans les pâturages" (MacKee, 1994; p. 48).

Propagation:  Seed, rhizomes (Whistler, 1983; p. 79).

Native range:  Tropical Africa and some Indian Ocean islands; 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
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced	Josekutty, P. C./Wakuk, E. E./Joseph, M. J. (2002) (p. 63)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Taveuni Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (pp. 260-261) Voucher cited: DA 11533
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (pp. 260-261) Vouchers cited: DA 5020
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (pp. 260-261) Vouchers cited: DA 8633, DA 10099, Greenwood 984, DA 10544, DA 10902, DA 10808, DA 9611, DA 10930, DA 8031, DA 10448, DA 10093
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1957) (voucher ID: BISH 34160) Taxon name on voucher: Cyperus aromaticus (Ridley) Mattf. & Kukenth.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1956) (voucher ID: BISH 34161) Taxon name on voucher: Cyperus aromaticus (Ridley) Mattf. & Kukenth.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1956) (voucher ID: BISH 34167) Taxon name on voucher: Cyperus aromaticus (Ridley) Mattf. & Kukenth.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1957) (voucher ID: BISH 34168) Taxon name on voucher: Cyperus aromaticus (Ridley) Mattf. & Kukenth.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1959) (voucher ID: BISH 34169) Taxon name on voucher: Cyperus aromaticus (Ridley) Mattf. & Kukenth.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1977) (voucher ID: BISH 415787) Taxon name on voucher: Cyperus aromaticus (Ridley) Mattf. & Kukenth.
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence , D.H. Lorence , S.P. Perlman & W.L. Wagner 9434 (PAP) Adventice
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1988) (voucher ID: BISH 601627) Taxon name on voucher: Kyllinga polyphylla Willd. ex Kunth.
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1988) (voucher ID: BISH 1000648) Taxon name on voucher: Kyllinga polyphylla Willd. ex Kunth.
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1988) (voucher ID: PTBG 8925) Taxon name on voucher: Kyllinga polyphylla
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2004) (voucher ID: PTBG 42491) Taxon name on voucher: Cyperus aromaticus
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 4454 (PAP) Adventice
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1981) (voucher ID: PTBG 50333) Taxon name on voucher: Kyllinga polyphylla
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	introduced invasive	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 380) Largement répandue; envahissante dans les pâturages.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 48) Vouchers cited: Buchholz 1415, MacKee 1069, MacKee 2061, MacKee 12830, MacKee 24372, MacKee 28359, MacKee 30714, Toutain 1198 (NOU)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 7)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 7) Voucher: Flynn 6924 (PTBG, US, SAMOA)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2002) (voucher ID: PTBG 316) Taxon name on voucher: Kyllinga polyphylla
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 93) As Kyllinga monophylla Willd. ex Kunth
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced invasive	Orapa, Warea (2005)
Tokelau Tokelau Islands	Tokelau Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 93) As Kyllinga monophylla Willd. ex Kunth
Vanuatu New Hebrides Islands	Vanuatu (Republic of)		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 93) As Kyllinga monophylla Willd. ex Kunth

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)	Queensland	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
China China	Hong Kong	introduced invasive	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Naturalized in moist or brackish sandy areas; below 300 m. Hong Kong.
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 316) As Kyllinga aromatica (Ridl.) Mattf. & Kunth. In wasteland.
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Negara Brunei Darussalam Brunei	Brunei (Negara Brunei Darussalam)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (pp. 260-261)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 64)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 53) Naturalised
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	introduced invasive	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Naturalized in moist or brackish sandy areas; below 300 m.
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	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
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced invasive	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 117)
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island	introduced invasive	Whistler, W. Arthur (1996) (p. 24)
Comoros Comoro Islands	Comoro Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Alphonse Island		Robertson, I. A. D./Robertson, S. A./Fosberg, F. R. (1983) (p. 180) Voucher cited: Robertson 2890 (K)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Coetivy Island		Robertson, S. A./Fosberg, F. R. (1983) (p. 148) Voucher cited: Robertson 3100 (K)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Comments:  Very prevalent in pastures and along roadsides and other disturbed places in Samoa.

Control: 

Physical: "Checked by cultivation in most soils and controlled by cultivation in dry soils.  Fairly unpalatable to stock, but maly be eaten if cut and fed mixed with other forage.  Not susceptible to burning.  Slashing will only give temporary control.  Competition from vigous well-adapted and well-managed grasses will suppress the weed." (Swarbrick, 1997)

Chemical: Susceptible to the translocated herbicide, glyphosate, at standard rate" (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 26).