Eriochloa punctata (L.) Desv. ex Ham., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Louisiana cupgrass

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Cespitose annuals, culms numerous, erect, 5-15 dm tall, branching somewhat above base, glabrous to slightly puberulent, nodes puberulent.  Sheaths open, glabrous to puberulent, loosely clasping the stem, especially near base, margins overlapping, ciliate; ligule ca. 1 mm long, ciliate; blades flat, 25-40 cm long, 3-12 mm wide, smooth, sparsely pubescent, margins scabrous.  Inflorescences paniculate, composed of 6-8 racemes, the racemes alternate on the axis, appressed to ascending, 2.5-6 cm long, rachis flattened, ca. 0.5 mm wide, puberulent, winged, pedicels long-pilose at apex with hairs 2-3 mm long; spikelets 1-2 per rachis, ovoid, 4-5 mm long; glumes unequal, first glume purple to green, reduced, 0.3-0.4 mm long, forming a small bead-like cuff surrounding base of the spikelet above the point of disarticulation, second glume chartaceous, ovate, 4-5 mm long, long-pilose, 5-nerved, apex acuminate to aristate; first lemma ovate, 3-4 mm long, long-pilose, 5-nerved, apex acuminate; second lemma indurate, elliptic, slightly dorsally compressed, 2-2.5 mm long, glabrous, rugulose, margins clasping palea, apex mucronate; palea elliptic, ca. 2 mm long, similar in texture to the lemma, margins inrolled, apex rounded.  Caryopsis ellipsoid, dorsally compressed, 1.5-5 mm long"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1546).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in wet, disturbed sites, 10-180 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1546).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Neotropics (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1546).

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	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2003) (p. 21) West Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H90002 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2003) (p. 21) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H70119 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Ni‘ihau Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1546)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1546) Voucher cited: Caum s.n. (BISH)

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

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

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

References:

Oppenheimer, Hank L. 2003. New plant records from Maui and Hawai‘i Counties. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2001-2002. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 73:3-30.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

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).