Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees, Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Poa chinensis L.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: qian jin zi

English: Asian sprangletop, Chinese sprangletop, red sprangletop

Filipino: malay-palay

French: herbe fine de Chine

Japanese: azegaya

Habit:  grass

Description:  "A strongly tufted annual or perennial grass; roots fibrous; culms erect or geniculately ascending, 12 to 120 cm high smooth, leafy; leaf sheath smooth; ligule 1.2 to 2 mm, membranous, deeply divided into hairlike segments; blade linear, acute, rough on the upper surface, otherwise smooth, 6 to 32 cm long, 4 to 9 mm wide; inflorescence a panicle, the axis 10 to 40  cm long, straight, marked, with longitudinal lines (striate), slightly rough; racemes solitary or two to four together, ultimately widely spreading, 1 to 10 cm long; pedicels of spikelets 0.5 to 0.75 mm long; spikelets four- to six- (often five-) flowered, 2.5 to 3.5 mm, often purplish; glumes unequal, with a small sharp point, the upper larger, with scattered harsh hairs on the midnerves; lemma with submarginal lateral nerves, higher lemmas successively smaller, all lemmas with appressed hairs along nerves; palea smooth or hairy along the nerves; grain (caryopsis) brown, smoothly or finely roughly reticulated (rugose), 0.7 to 0.8 mm long"  (Holm et al., 1977; pp. 309-310).

"Tufted, erect annual or perennial grass, 10-120 cm tall, with fibrous roots.  Stems hollow, glabrous, commonly reclining at base and rooting at nodes.  Leaf sheaths loose, 4-10 cm long, with a membranous ligule 1.25-2 mm long and split into hairlike segments; leaf blades linear, acute, flat, 6-30 cm - 4-9 mm, roughish.  Inflorescence a terminal panicle of many slender branches arising from a narrow main axis, 20-60 cm long; racemes solitary or 2-4 together; 1-10 cm long, shortly pedunculate.  Spikelets 2.5-3.5 mm long, usually 5-flowered, on alternating sides of the rachis.  Caryopsis ellipsoidal, 0.8 mm long, brown, smooth or wrinkled."  (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998).

"The closely related L. panicea can be distinguished from [this species] in that it has scattered, long, fine, tubercle-based hairs, and fewer florets (2-4) per spikelet" (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 77-78).

Description from GrassBase.

See also Leptochloa mucronata.

Habitat/ecology:  "Associated with wetlands, swamps, or streams in open lowland regions.  Can grow in heavy or light soils, along streams and watercourses, in marshy grounds and in lowland rice fields" (Holm et al., 1977; p. 310). "Heavy or light soils in soggy or inundated areas. It is able to establish and grow profusely in waterlogged conditions before crops can take a hold. 0-900 m altitude. A weed of rice, sugarcane, vegetables, cotton, corn." (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 77-78).

Propagation:  "Seed dispersed by water and animals" (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 77-78).

Native range:  Tropical Asia (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 77-78).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
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)

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. 94)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
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. 339) In 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)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (p. 313)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	uncertain if introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 54) Weed of uncertain origin
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. plate)
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)

Comments:  "A serious weed in Indonesia, Philippines, Swaziland, Thailand; and a principal weed in India, Japan and Malaysia" (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 77-78).

Additional information:
Fact sheet from FAO.

Additional online information about Leptochloa chinensis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

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

Taxonomic information about Leptochloa chinensis 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.

Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar. 1980. Grass weeds, vol. 2. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 137 pp. + plates.

Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. 1977. The world’s worst weeds: distribution and biology. East-West Center/University Press of Hawaii. 609 pp.

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

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. 1998. Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy: weeds target list. Second edition. Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service, Miscellaneous Publication No. 6/98. 110 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).