Dichanthium aristatum (Poir.) C.E.Hubb., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Andropogon aristatus Poir.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: mao geng shuang hua cao

English: Angleton bluestem, Angleton grass, Wilder grass, awned dichanthium, bearded golden-beard, bluestem

Spanish: hierba Angleton, puntero

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Perennials; culms 20-100 cm tall, geniculate at base, white-pubescent at nodes.  Sheaths glabrous, striate; ligule membranous, ca. 0.8 mm long; blades 3-25 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, scabrous on upper surface, sparsely pilose but becoming glabrous toward base.  Inflorescences composed of 1-6 subdigitate short-pedunculate racemes, peduncles and upper culm axis pubescent, racemes flexuous, 2-8 cm long; spikelets imbricate, with 1-6 smaller homogamous spikelet pairs at base of each raceme; sessile spikelet elliptic to obovate, 2-5 mm long, short-pilose at base, first glume chartaceous, convex, pilose below middle, upper part glabrous or short-ciliate along margins and near apex, apex broadly obtuse or subacute, second glume narrower than first glume, keeled, glabrous except margins pubescent, first lemma membranous, subequal to glumes, second lemma narrow, prolonged into a geniculate awn 10-20 mm long; pedicellate spikelet with glumes similar in shape and size to sessile spikelet, florets absent, awnless; palea absent.  Caryopsis greenish brown, lenticular, 2-2.5 mm long."  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1528-1529, 1907).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in lawns, pastures, and grasslands, also common in frequently disturbed areas, 0-520 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1528-1529).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "India to southeastern Asia, widely naturalized in other tropical regions" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1528-1529).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 4480 (PAP) Adventice
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaho‘olawe Island	introduced invasive	Herbst, Derral R./Clayton, W. D. (1998) (p. 22) Voucher cited: Wood et al. 1735 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1529)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1529)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1529)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1529) Voucher cited: Forbes 1728.O (BISH)
Japan (offshore islands) Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	introduced invasive cultivated	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 380) Souvent en dehors des pâturages.
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced	Henty, E. E. (1969) (p. 69)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 40)

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. 40)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Hill slopes; 500-1500 m. Yunan.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Hill slopes; 500-1500 m.

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 125)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Dichanthium aristatum, please let us know.