Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Bouteloua pilosa (Hook. f.) Benth. ex S. Watson, Eutriana pilosa Hook. f., Leptochloa hirta Nees ex Steud., Polyodon distichum Kunth

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Annual; culms terete, glabrous, much branched, often decumbent and rooting from nodes, 25-80 cm long or more; sheaths shorter than internodes, glabrous or more or less papillose-pilose; ligule a fringe of hairs about 0.5 mm long; blades flat, elongate, mostly 2-5 mm wide, glabrous or somewhat pilose, margins scabrous; inflorescence with 15-30 branches, these mostly bearing 3-5 spikelets crowded on basal third of the flattened scabrous rachis; spikelets pale to purplish, 5-7 mm long excluding awns; first glume setaceous, 3-4 mm long, second lanceolate, scabrous, 4.5-6 mm long, apiculate or very short-awned from shallowly notched apex; lemma smooth, about equal to second glume, 3-nerved, nerves terminating in short awns; palea equaling lemma, the 2 nerves terminating in short awn points; rudiment including the strong scabrous central awn to 10 mm long, the body from greatly reduced to about 4 mm long, 2 short lateral awns often present (rudiment rarely lacking or reduced to scabrous awn about equaling lemma); caryopsis broadly fusiform, flattened, about 2.5 mm long, hilum punctiform, embryo large, covering about four-fifths of adaxial surface"  (Wiggins & Porter, 1971; pp. 832-834).

Description from World Grass Species.

Habitat/ecology:  "A weedy species in tropical and subtropical areas" (Wiggins & Porter, 1971; pp. 832-834).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Mexico through Central America to Ecuador and Peru (Wiggins & Porter, 1971; pp. 832-834).

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) Darwin Islands	Darwin Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Española Group	Española Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Española Group	Osborn Islet	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Fernandina Group	Fernandina Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Floreana Group	Floreana Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcan Alcedo	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcan Cerro Azul	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcan Darwin	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcan Ecuador	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Pinta Group	Pinta Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Pinzón Group	Pinzón Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Baltra Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Eden Islet	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Punta Bowditch Norte Islet	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Seymour Norte Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Venecia Islet	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Fé Group	Santa Fé Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Albany Islet	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Mao Islet	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Rábida Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Santiago Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Wolf Islands	Wolf Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
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)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (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)
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)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Comments:  Probably not native to the Galápagos Islands, possibly introduced, per Charles Darwin Research Station.

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

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

References:

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

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

Wiggins, I. L./Porter, D. M. 1971. Flora of the Galapágos Islands. Stanford University Press. 998 pp.