Andropogon virginicus L., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Reject, score: 13 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: broomsedge, broomsedge bluestem, whisky grass, yellow bluestem

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Perennial tall bunchgrass with tufted stems, 50-100 cm tall, branches 1-3 at node.  Leaves:  Leaf-sheaths more or less tuberculate-hirsute on the margins with long usually lax hairs; ligule yellow-brown, membranous, truncate, white-fringed at edge; blades 40 cm long or less, 2-5 mm wide, rough or roughish, hirsute on the upper surface near the base; spathes 3-5 cm long, extending beyond the racemes.  Racemes:  2 (-3-4), 2-3 cm long.  Spikelets:  Sessile spikelet 3-4 mm long, twice to half again as long as the internode, the awn straight, 10-15 mm long; pedicellate spikelet wanting or rarely present as a minute scale, pedicel exceeding the sessile spikelet.  Flowers:  Either sessile and hermaphrodite, or stalked and staminate, sterile or not developed"  (Cronk and Fuller, 1995; pp. 67-69).

Description from World Grass Species.

Habitat/ecology:  Subhumid to humid subtropical areas on a wide range of soils.  Dried material contributes to fire hazard, and reproduction is encouraged by fire.  In Hawai‘i, "common and often dominant along roadsides and in disturbed dry to mesic forest and shrubland, especially on ridges, 50-1,200 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1497, 1904); "in disturbed grassland and scrub on Oahu from about 50-250 m, on red clay soils in places where the native forest vegetation has been replaced by introduced woody and herbaceous plants' (Cronk & Fuller, 2001, p. 68). "Forms nearly monotypic stands in poor pastures and in open and disturbed conservation land.  Poor forage.  A fire hazzard:  (Motooka et al., 2003).  In Australia, "has invaded communities which are extremely deficient in nutrients and were thought for this reason to be uninvasible"  (Cronk & Fuller, 2001, p. 68).  Highly flammable and alters the fire regime in areas where it has invaded (Cronk & Fuller, 2001, p. 68).

Propagation:  Seed.  "The awned seed is well adapted to catch in wool and fur as well as in clothing and other fibrous materials".  May also spread on mud on machinery.

Native range:  North America, Central America, West Indies

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. 1497) Voucher cited: Lee 65 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2000) (p. 14) Voucher cited: C. Imada, W. Char & C. Morden 99-10 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1999) (p. 7) Voucher cited: C. Imada, H. Oppenheimer, J.S. Meidell & C. Gemmill 98-4 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Hughes, Guy D'Oyly (1995) (p. 8) East Maui. Voucher cited: Higashino 9360 (BISH) Sparingly naturalized in dieback forest and dominating disturbed areas of lowland mesic shrubland.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Meidell, J. Scott/Bartlett, R. T. (1999) (p. 9) West Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H99804 (BISH) In a wide range of habitats, including bogs, wet and mesic forests, pastures and roadsides.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Hughes, Guy D'Oyly (1995) (p. 8) Voucher cited: Hughes s.n. (BISH) Colonizes disturbed mesic shrubland and dominates many disturbed areas, from 600-1000 m.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1497)
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Midway Atoll	Midway Atoll	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Martz, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2002) (p. 22) Voucher cited: Starr & Martz 990407-1 (BISH)

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. 8)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 600) "Roadsides and along railway line".
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Comments:  A serious problem in Hawai‘i. On French Polynesia exclusion list.

Control: 

Physical:  "Grazing management is probably the only practical way to control grass weeds in pastures"  (Motooka et al., 2003).

Chemical: Effective control can be achieved by application of bromacil, hexazinone, tebuthiuron, bromacil & Diuron, and buthidazole (Cronk & Fuller, 2001; pp. 67-69).

"Research in Oklahoma indicates that glyphosate on intact old growth not effective, but very effective only after removal of old growth e.g. by fire. However, seedlings readily reinfested the treated area. Glyphosate effective for controlling broomsedge but thorough application to live foliage is critical. HAVO staff controlled broomsedge with foliar application of glyphosate at 1% in water (Chris Zimmer, HAVO)"  (Motooka et al., 2003).

Additional information:  Information from the book "Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide" (Motooka et al., 2003). (PDF format).
The Nature Conservancy photos.

Additional online information about Andropogon virginicus is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

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

References:

Cronk, Q. C. B./Fuller, J. L. 2001. Plant invaders. Earthscan Publications, Ltd., London. 241 pp.

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

Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar. 1980. Grass weeds, vol. 1. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 142 pp. + plates.

Herbarium Pacificum Staff. 1999. New Hawaiian plant records for 1998. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1998. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 58:3-11.

Hughes, Guy D'Oyly. 1995. New Hawaiian plant records II. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1994. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 42:1-10.

Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2000. New Hawaiian plant records for 1999. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1999. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 63:9-16.

Motooka, Philip/Castro, Luisa/Nelson, Duane/ Nagai, Guy/Ching, Lincoln. 2003. Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 184 pp.

Motooka, Philip/Ching, Lincoln/Nagai, Guy. 2002. Herbicidal Weed Control Methods for Pasture and Natural Areas of Hawaii. Cooperative Extension Service, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai‘i. CTAHR free publication WC-8.

Oppenheimer, Hank L./Meidell, J. Scott/Bartlett, R. T. 1999. New plant records for Maui and Moloka‘i. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1998. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 59:7-11.

Parsons, W. T./Cuthbertson, E. G. 1992. Noxious weeds of Australia. Inkata Press, Melbourne/Sydney. 692 pp.

Starr, Forest/Martz, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. 2002. New plant records from the Hawaiian archipelago. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2000. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 69:16-27.

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).