Cyrtococcum patens (L.) A. Camus, Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: gong guo shu

English: bowgrass

Pohnpeian: reh-maikol, rehmaikol, solmaleh

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Creeping perennial, culms prostrate and rooting at the nodes, erect portions to 60 cm tall, internodes cylindrical, hollow, glabrous, nodes glabrous.  Leaf sheaths glabrous, ciliate; ligule 0.5-0.7 mm high, glabrous; longest blades 3.5-9 cm long, 3-12 mm wide, lanceolate, acuminate, the base asymmetrical, the margins minutely scabrous and with a few basal cilia.  Panicle 5-25 cm long, the branches widely spreading, the pedicels longer than the spikelets, spreading. Spikelets 1.6-2 mm long, pubescent; lower glume 0.9-1.4 mm long, 3-nerved; upper glume 1.5-1.7 mm long, 3-5-nerved; lower floret sterile, lemma 5-nerved, its palea rudimentary or absent; upper floret 1.4-1.8 mm long, 0.8-1.2 mm wide, minutely pitted" (Dassanayake, 1994; pp. 142-143).

"Ascending grass similar to C. oxyphyllum, but larger, with fine, spreading panicle branches" (Whistler, 1988; p. 49).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  In Samoa, "uncommon in disturbed places in the mountains" (Whistler, 1988; p. 49).  In Ceylon, "in shady habitats, especially in secondary growth at elevation of 500 m" (Dassanayake, 1994; pp. 142-143).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  India and tropical Asia (Dassanayake, 1994; pp. 142-143). Fosberget al. (1987; p. 35) list as native in Micronesia.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 35)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Dublon (Tonowas) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 35)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Fefan Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 35)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Tol Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 35)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 35)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 35)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Glassman, S. F. (1952) (p. 127) Vouchers cited: Glassman 2472 (US), Glassman 2836 (US)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	native	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (pp. 55-56) Vouchers cited: A. Dores 76 (BISH, NY, PTBG), E. Eperiam 17 (NY), T.W. Flynn 6089 (K, PTBG), F.R. Fosberg 2966 (BISH), S.F. Glassman 2472 (BISH), S. Ishikawa 462 (BISH), D.H. Lorence 8090 (K, MO, PTBG, US), D.H. Lorence 9555 (BISH, COM, NY, PTBG, US), D.H. Lorence 9989 (PTBG), L. Raulerson 25292 (BISH), F.F. Sohl 36 (BISH, NY, PTBG), M. Takamatsu 719 (BISH), C. Trauernicht 142 (NY, PTBG)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands		Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 35)
Papua New Guinea Bougainville Islands	Bougainville Island		Foreman, D. B. (1971) (p. 25)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (p. 66) Common in thickets, some secondary forests, old clearings, etc., at low and medium altitudes.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 49)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 91)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 63)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 330) In forests or wet places.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	native	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 31) Critically endangered
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 119)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

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

Information about Cyrtococcum patens as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

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

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Dassanayake, M. D., gen. ed. 1994. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. Vol VIII. Amerind Pub. Co., New Delhi. 458 pp.

Foreman, D. B. 1971. A check list of the vascular plants of Bougainville, with descriptions of some common forest trees. Botany Bulletin No. 5. Division of Botany, Department of Forests. Lae, New Guinea. 194 pp.

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

Glassman, S. F. 1952. The flora of Ponape. Bishop Mus. Bull. 209: 1-152.

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

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. 2010. Checklist of the vascular plants of Pohnpei with local names and uses. Allertonia, in press. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 146 pp.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

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

Merrill, Elmer D. 1925. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 1 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 463 pp.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Whistler, W. A. 1988. Checklist of the weed flora of western Polynesia. Technical Paper No. 194, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 69 pp.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).