Agrostis stolonifera L., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: carpet bentgrass, creeping bent, creeping bentgrass, fiorin, marsh bent, redtop, redtop bent, redtop bentgrass, seaside bentgrass, spreading bent

French: agrostide stolonifère, traînasse

Spanish: agróstide estolonífera, heno ahumado, pasto fiorin

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Rhizomatous or stolonniferous perennials; culms decumbent, (3-) 4-10 (-13) dm long.  Sheaths smooth, glabrous, persistent; ligule truncate to obtuse, 1.5-5 (-8.5) mm long, erose-ciliolate, often lacerate; blades flat, folded, or involute, relatively wide, 2-5 (-6) mm wide when opened, scabrous.  Panicles (7-) 10-18 (-25) cm long, open, sometimes closing after anthesis, the branches scabrous, verticillate, ascending, floriferous from base; glumes lanceolate, acute, rounded on the back, nerves scabrous, purplish, first glume 2-2.5 mm long; second glume 1.8-22 (-2.5) mm long; lemma membranous, 1.4-1.8 (-2.3) mm long, 3-5-nerved, awnless, callus minutely bearded; palea membranous, translucent, 0.7-1.5 mm long.  Caryopsis pale brown to reddish brown, 0.5-0.8 mm long"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1494).

Description from World Grass Species.

Habitat/ecology:  "Riparian habitats, seasonal freshwater wetlands, marshes, coastal scrub and beaches.  In the native range, this grass is commonly found in wet meadows and riparian habitats.  It is a polyploid complex in which clonal propagation is predominant.  It is fast growing and invasive because it forms mat-like dense colonies due to vegetative growth, displacing native vegetation and reducing species richness"  (Weber, 2003; p. 31).

In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in disturbed places, especially in moist sites, 640-1,680 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1494).

Propagation:  Seed? "Plants in Australia do not fruit and spread solely by stolons. Fragments of stolons easily root and regenerate to new plants" (Weber, 2003; p. 31).

Native range:  "Europe, widely naturalized"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1494).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1494)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1494)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1494)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1494) Voucher cited: Forbes 98.Mo (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1494)

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)	Australia (continental)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 9)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 9)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 240) "Sea level to subalpine, often in damp or boggy sites, in disturbed ground, modified grassland or open scrub".

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mascarene Islands Mascarene Islands (Mauritius, La Reunion, Rodrigues)	Mascarene Islands	introduced	Weber, Ewald (2003) (p. 31)

Control: 

Physical:  Small patches may be dug out.

Chemical:  Spray with grass-selective herbicides.

Additional information:  Additional online information about Agrostis stolonifera is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Agrostis stolonifera may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Edgar, E./Connor, H. 2000. Flora of New Zealand, vol. V: Gramineae. Manaaki Whenua Press. .

Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar. 1980. Grass weeds, vol. 2. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 137 pp. + plates.

U. S. Government. 2006. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.