Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) Clayton, Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

Reject, score: 22 (Go to the risk assessment (Florida (U.S.))).
High risk (Go to the risk assessment (United States)) (PDF format).

Other Latin names:  Rottboellia exaltata L. f.

Common name(s): [more details]

Bikol: gaho

Bontoc: nagei

Chinese: tong zhou mao

English: Kelly grass, Raoul grass, corngrass, guinea-fowl grass, itchgrass, kokoma grass

Filipino: bukal, girum

French: fataque duvet

Ibatan: annarai

Iloko: sagisi

Spanish: arocillo gigante, caminadora, cola de la garto, cola de lagarto, paja peluda, rogelia

Tagalog: aguiñgay

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Tall annual, supported below by stilt roots, the basal leaf sheaths painfully hispid; culms 0.3-3.0 m tall.  Leaf blades broadly linear, up to 45 cm long and 2 cm wide.  Racemes 3-15 cm long, glabrous, terminating in a tail of reduced spikelets, gathered into a spathate false panicle.  Sessile spikelet oblong-elliptic, pallid; lower glume 3.5-5 mm long; upper glume with its keel narrowly winged toward the tip; pedicelled spikelet narrowly ovate, 3-5 mm long, herbaceous, green; pedicel shorter than the internode" (Dassanayake, 1994; pp. 389-390).

"Annual, erect, up to ca 3 m tall; culms supported by prop roots, nodes glabrous. Leaf sheaths glabrous or with sparse tubercular-based hairs; ligules ca 2 mm long; leaf blades linear to broadly linear, apex attenuate, up to 45 cm x 0.5-5 cm, glabrous or with sparse tubercular-based hairs. Racemes 3-15 cm long, terminating with several reduced spikelets; sessile spikelets 3.5-5.5 mm long; pedicellate spikelets herbaceous, green, 3-5 mm long" (Stanley and Ross, 1989; vol. 3, p. 250).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  "A weed of warm season crops but its habitat varies widely across the world.  In many areas it is prominent in open, well-drained places and is one of the important species in old field successions.  In South Africa, however, it frequents wet places and, in Madras, may even grow in shallow water.  In some regions it requires sunny or moderately shaded places, whereas in others it is found in thickets or teak forests.  Finally, it is common on contour banks and roadsides and its importance as a weed of several cultivated world crops is increasing.  The weed is most troublesome between 800 and 1,300 m elevation" (Holm et al., 1977; pp. 139-143).

"In eastern Africa the species is one of the primary colonizers of disturbed land.  In Trinidad it is one of the important fast-growing annuals which finally become dominant and take over from early perennial colonizers such as Cynodon dactylon and Cyperus rotundus.  It is a very vigorous plant and often exists in pure stands in old, cultivated fields and near habitations"  (Holm et al., 1977; pp. 139-143).

In Sri Lanka, "along roadsides and in open, weedy places, from sea level to 200 m elevation" (Dassanayake, 1994; pp. 389-390).

Propagation:  "Reproduction is by seeds.  A single plant may bear 2,200 seeds.  Seeds are spread by water, in poorly cleaned crop seeds, and by harvesting machines" (Holm et al., 1977; p. 142).

Native range:  Africa, Asia and Australia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Fiji Islands		Waterhouse, D. F. (1997) (p. 64)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)		Henty, E. E. (1969) (p. 166) As Rottboellia exaltata L. f.
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1997) (p. 64)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (p. 141)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (pp. 68, 78)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (pp. 39-40) In open places, borders of thickets, etc., at low and medium altitudes; common.
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 96)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced invasive	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 106)

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)	Northern Territory	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (p. 141)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 312)
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. 345) As Rottboellia exaltata L. f.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (p. 141)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Japan Japan	Japan	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 192) As Rottboellia exaltata L. var. appendiculata Hack.
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	introduced invasive	Pallawatta, Nirmalie/Reaser, Jamie K./Gutierrez, Alixis T./eds. (2003) (p. 46)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 75) Naturalised
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 312)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (p. 141)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (p. 141)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic 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
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	native	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1993) (p. 21)

Control: 

Biological:  Waterhouse (1994, pp. 223-227) lists the natural enemies of the species.