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

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only 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 World Grass Species.

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).

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. 2006. 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).