Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Perennial; culms slender, widely decumbent-spreading, branching, the nodes pubescent, rooting at the lower nodes, the internodes usually rather short; sheaths shorter than the internodes, glabrous, the margins ciliate; ligule about 0.3 mm long, membranaceous, erose; blades rather thin, cordate, mostly 5-8 cm long, 5-10 mm (rarely 15 mm) wide, glabrous or sparsely pilose; panicles 6-15 cm long, the usually numerous branches ascending, the branchlets appressed or spreading, mostly on the lower side of the branches; spikelets 1.5 mm long, glabrous" (Swallen, 1955; p. 258).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  In Guatemala, "moist river banks, lake shores, and openings in forests; sometimes a week in cultivated places" (Swallen, 1955; p. 258).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Southern Mexico to Paraguay (Swallen, 1955; p. 258).

Presence:

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Rugoloa polygonata, please let us know.