Tripsacum laxum Nash, Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Tripsacum fasciculatum Trin. ex Asch.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Guatemala grass

French: herbe de Guatemala

Spanish: Janeiro, pasto Guatemala

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Perennial; culms coarse, erect, commonly 2-3 meters high, branching from the upper nodes; sheaths glabrous; blades 2-6 cm wide, somewhat cordate, the margins scabrous; racemes usually solitary or in pairs, sometimes more in the terminal inflorescence; staminate spikelets about 8 mm long, the primary one of each pair sessile, the secondary pedicellate, the pedicel flattened, rather broad, about 2 mm long; pistillate portion of racemes thickish, the spikelets rather broadly ovate" (Swallen, 1955; pp. 363-364).

"Perennial, the culms stout, 3-3.6 m high, the nodes black, prominent; leaf blades 45-60 cm long, 7.5-10 cm broad, the margins scabrous; inflorescence 22-30 cm long, the spikes fascicled; spikelets 6-9 mm long, lacking an awn" (Smith, 1979; p. 389).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, introduced as a fodder grass and persisting (Smith, 1979; p. 389).  In New Caledonia, "cultivé et spontané mais peu commun" (MacKee, 1994; p.63). In Guatemala, "edges of pine forests, slopes, and hilltops, up to 2,000 meters" (Swallen, 1955; pp. 363-364).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Mexico (Smith, 1979; p. 389). Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador (Swallen, 1955; pp. 363-364).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 389) Vouchers cited: DA 5594, DA 9120
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 347) Vouchers cited: Florence 3492, Fosberg & Sachet 63198
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Vouchers cited: J. Florence 3492 (PAP), F.R. Fosberg & M.-H. Sachet 63198 (PAP) Adventice
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 347) Voucher cited: Fosberg 62762
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rurutu Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Adventice
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 240) Introduced experimentally in 1920.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 62)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 63) Voucher cited: MacKee 39363
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 253) Voucher cited: CHR 188599
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 47)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 141)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 116)

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)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 370)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 141)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 370)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 389)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 370)

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	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Tripsacum laxum, please let us know.