Panicum brevifolium L., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: duan ye shu

English: short-leaved panicum, shortleaf panic grass

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Creeping annual, rooting at the lower nodes; culms to 1 m or more long, the upper portions ascending and producing inflorescences, branched, the internodes much longer than the sheaths, slightly flattened, hollow, glabrous or with a line of pubescence, the nodes glabrous.  Sheaths rounded, glabrous, slightly auriculate, the auricle ciliate, one margin ciliate, the other hyaline, the collar glabrous; ligule a ciliolate membrane, puberulent on the back, 0.2-0.8 mm long; blades 1.5-8.0 cm long, 5-25 mm wide, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, flat, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, usually sparsely pilose behind the ligule, cordate-clasping at the base, acuminate, the basal lobes usually prominently ciliate.  Panicle 3-17 cm long, the branches spreading, the rhachis and major branches usually pilose, glandular, the pedicels glabrous, spreading.  Spikelets 1.5-1.9 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide, somewhat laterally compressed, plano-convex and somewhat gibbous in lateral view, pubescent, varying from puberulent to conspicuously papillose-hirsute, often both forms in the same inflorescence with the heavily pubescent spikelets towards the outside of the panicle, rarely completely glabrous, green or flushed with purple, acute; lower glume as long as the spikelet or slightly shorter, narrow, lanceolate, acute to subobtuse, 1-3-nerved; rhacilla internode noticeably enlarged and thickened between the glumes; upper glume as long as the spikelet, strongly 5-nerved; lower floret usually staminate, sometimes sterile, the lemma 5-nerved, as long as the spikelet, the palea slightly shorter than the lemma; upper floret 1.0-1.5 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide, ovate to broadly elliptic, minutely punctate, acute; anthers 1.0-1.4 mm long, yellow; caryopsis c. 0.8 mm long and 0.6 mm wide" (Dassanayake, 1994; pp. 333-334).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  In Sri Lanka, "common in shade along forest edges, embankments, river banks, and in secondary vegetation at elevations from sea level to 1300 m" (Dassanayake, 1994; pp. 333-334).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Tropical Africa and Asia (Dassanayake, 1994; pp. 333-334).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 341) In wet places.
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)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Frégate Island		Robertson, S. A./Todd, D. M. (1983) (p. 58) Voucher cited: Robertson 2640

Control:  If you know of control methods for Panicum brevifolium, please let us know.