Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty, Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Low risk, score: -8 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Vetiveria zizanoides (L.) Nash

Common name(s): [more details]

English: cuscus grass, khus-khus, vetiver grass

Fijian: mulimuli

French: chiendent odorant, vétiver

Hindi: garara, khas khas

Maori (Cook Islands): a‘i, mauku a‘i

Spanish: zacate violeta

Tongan: ahisiaina

Habit:  grass

Description: 

The listings below do not differentiate between plantings of sterile cultivars or fertile varieties unless specified in the literature.

"Perennial, the culms stout, up to 3 m high; leaf blades narrow, glabrous, 30-90 cm long, 5-12 mm broad, tapering at length to a fine point, the margins scabrous; panicle usually contracted, 22-37 cm long, the branches whorled, fragile, jointed, ascending, appressed, 5-7.5 cm long; spikelets paired, about 4 mm long, similar, one sessile, one stalked, falling entire at maturity, 2-flowered, the upper floret of sessile spikelet alone perfect, the others either female or sterile, the glumes with minute, prickly, wart-like projections, the glume of stalked spikelet almost smooth"  (Smith, 1979; p. 377).

Description from World Grass Species.

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "cultivated in gardens but is also escaped and naturalized, occurring along roadsides and contour lines. ...it may be considered a roadside weed" (Smith, 1979; p. 377). In New Caledonia, "largement dispersé à présent, surtout en bords de routes" (MacKee, 1994; p. 63).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Southeastern Asia to tropical Africa" (Smith, 1979; p. 377).

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	Matuku Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 377) Voucher cited: Tothill
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 377) Vouchers cited: Greenwood 228, DA 8206, DA 8273, DA 8565, Degener 15013, DA 7984, DA 7874, DA 7466, DA 452, DA 2502, DA 6087,, DA 7485, DA 7542
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 348) Vouchers cited: Moore 528, Grant 5364
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007) As Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 63) Voucher cited: Le Rat 230
Palau Palau (main island group)	Palau Islands (main island group)	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 63)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Western Samoa Islands		Whistler, W. A. (2004) (1) Vai'e'e penisula, in sandy beach area, August 1991; (2) next to a house at Lona, Fagaloa, August 1972.
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Lifuka Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (pp. 53-54) Voucher cited: Yuncker 15728
Tonga Tonga Islands	Tonga Islands		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (pp. 53-54) "Occasional throughout Tonga"
Tonga Tongatapu Group	‘Eua Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (pp. 53-54) Voucher cited: Yuncker 15660
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (pp. 53-54) Voucher cited: Yuncker 15216

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

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

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

References:

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1987. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian monocotyledonae. Micronesica 20:1-126.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. 494 pp.

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

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1990. Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands: The plants, their Maori names, and their uses. Allertonia 5(4):347-424.

Whistler, W. A. 2004. Communications to Pacific Pestnet listserver 23 Feb. 2004.

Yuncker, T. G. 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bishop Museum Bull. 220. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 343 pp.