Lolium multiflorum Lam., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 9 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: duo hua hei mai cao

English: Italian ryegrass, Westerwold ryegrass, Westerwolds ryegrass, annual ryegrass, lovitto ryegrass

French: ivraie à fleurs nombreuses, ivraie multiflore, ray-grass d'Italie

Spanish: ballico Italiano, ballico de Italia, cevolillo, cola de zorro, gran ray-gras, joyo, raygras Italiano

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Annuals or short-lived perennials, usually without basal innovations; culms ascending or erect, 5-10 dm tall, smooth to scabrous in lower part.  Sheaths glabrous, persistent at base of the plant, auricles well-developed, crescent-shaped, up to 1.5 mm long; ligule 0.5-1.5 mm long; blades flat or slightly involute, (3-) 3.5-7 (-10) mm wide, upper surface scabrous.  Spikes erect, (10-) 14-27 (-30) cm long; spikelets distichous, appressed against rachis, 6-10 (-15)-flowered, 9-15(-30) cm long; second glume narrowly lanceolate, 4-9 (-12) mm long, usually ca. 1/2 as long as the spikelet, apex obtuse to rounded; lemmas lanceolate, 5-6.6 (-7.5) mm long, 5-nerved, glabrous to scabrous, margins inrolled, apex obtuse to acute, those of the lower florets mucronate, those of the upper florets with awns 1-5 (-8) mm long produced from a minutely bifid apex; plaea about as long as lemma, 2-nerved, margins finely ciliate, keels winged.  Caryopsis brown, dorsally compressed, obovoid to ellipsoid, 3-4 mm long"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1561).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "used as a pasture grass, and naturalized in pastures, grasslands, cultivated fields, and other disturbed sites, 850-1,470 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1561).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Europe and the Mediterranean region, widely used in temperate regions as a pasture grass" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1561).

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) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced	Skottsberg, Carl (1953) (p. 216)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 555)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced	Skottsberg, Carl (1953) (p. 216)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 555)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1561) Voucher cited: Rock 8710 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1561)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1561)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Herbst, Derral R./Clayton, W. D. (1998) (p. 29) Voucher cited: Forbes 99.Mo (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1561)

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 cultivated	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Planted pasture species and widespread weed of crops and roadsides.
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive cultivated	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Planted pasture species and widespread weed of crops and roadsides. South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive cultivated	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Planted pasture species and widespread weed of crops and roadsides.
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Grasslands, introduced. Anhui, Fujian, Guizhou, Hebei, Henan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Nei Mongol, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Yunnan.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 100)
Japan Japan	Japan		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 219)
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 192)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 100)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 125) "On roadsides and waste land, found sometimes as a weed in pasture and in gardens".
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 100)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 219)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 219)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Grasslands, introduced.

Comments:  Introduced to Fiji in 1933 but did not persist in trial plots (Smith, 1979; p. 390).

Control:  If you know of control methods for Lolium multiflorum, please let us know.