Paspalum notatum Flugge, Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 16 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: bai xi cao

English: Bahia grass, water couch

French: herbe de Bahia

Spanish: cañamazo, gengibrillo, grama batatais, grama dulce, grama ferro, gramalote, gramilla blanca, pasto bahía, pasto horqueta

Habit:  grass

Description: 

Genus:  "Annuals or, if perennials, then usually rhizomatous or stoloniferous; culms solid.  Sheaths open, slightly compressed; ligule membranous, entire; blades usually flat, often broad, margins scabrous, nonauriculate.  Inflorescence a panicle of 1 to numerous unilateral spicate or racemose branches; spikelets subsessile or short-pedicellate, borne in pairs or singly in 2 rows on 1 side of a flattened, occasionally broadly winged rachis, dorsally compressed, plano-convex, 2-flowered, the first floret sterile, the second floret perfect, disarticulating below the glumes; glumes unequal, first glume usually absent, second glume and first lemma usually subequal, broad and rounded at apex and slightly exceeding second lemma; second lemma usually obtuse, rounded on the back, indurate, smooth, glossy, indistinctly nerved, the margins inrolled and clasping the palea, apex awnless; palea broad, flat or slightly convex and of similar texture to lemma; stamens 3.  Caryopsis strongly flattened dorsally, suborbicular to broadly ovoid-ellipsoid"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1574-1575).

Species:  "Rhizome stout; leaf blades folded or flat, 20-30 cm long, 5-10 mm broad; flowering culms 45-90 cm high, the racemes 2, digitate, usually recurved, ascending, about 10 cm long; spikelets ovate to obovate, glabrous, brownish-tinged, shiny, 2.5-4 mm long" (Smith, 1979; p. 137).

"Habit: Perennial; mat forming. Rhizomes elongated. Culms 15-50 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades spreading; 2-30 cm long; 3-10 mm wide. Inflorescence: Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 2(-3); paired; unilateral; 2.5-12 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 0.5 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; 1 mm wide. Spikelet packing abaxial; regular; 2 -rowed. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Fertile spikelets: Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; plano-convex; obtuse; 2.5-3.8 mm long; falling entire. Glumes: Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume ovate; 1 times length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse. Florets: Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 times length of spikelet; cartilaginous; 1 -veined; without lateral veins; obtuse. Fertile lemma ovate; gibbous; 2-3 mm long; indurate; pallid; without keel. Lemma surface striate. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate" (GrassBase).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i (Kaua‘i), "it is not uncommon along the roadsides, in pastures and lawns... It forms dense mats of vegetation, spreading by large, coarse stolons" (Lorence & Flynn, 1999; p. 6).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "A native of tropical America, this species has been taken to other tropical areas for trial as a pasture grass"  (Smith, 1979; p. 137).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 337) Vouchers cited: DA 8248, DA 2351, DA 8313, DA 8314, DA 8571, DA 10835, DA 9032, DA 2351 Escapes noted.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 54)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, M.-H. (1982) (p. 82) Vouchers cited: Fosberg 59641 (US, BISH, POM, NY), Stone 4853 (GUAM), P. H. Moore 808 (US, Guam)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David/Flynn, Tim (1999) (p. 6) Voucher cited: T. Flynn et al. 6127 (BISH, K, PTBG, US)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2007) (p. 29) West Maui. Vouchers cited: Oppenheimer & Bartlett H100203 (BISH, PTBG), Oppenheimer H70401 (BISH, PTBG), Oppenheimer, Bily & Michailidis H60312 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2008) (p. 33) East Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H80605 (BISH, PTBG)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)

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. 102)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Queensland Herbarium (2002) (p. 6)
China China	China (People's Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 102)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 268)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 192)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Control:  Control information from the Bugwood Wiki.

Additional information:
Information from the Bugwood Wiki.

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

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

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

References:

Cardenas, Juan/Reys, Carlos E./Doll, Jerry D./Pardo, Fernando. 1972. Tropical weeds; malezas tropicales, vol. 1. International Plant Protection Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 341 pp.

Clayton, W. D./Harman, K. T./Williamson, H. 2002. World Grass Species: Descriptions, Identification, and Information Retrieval (online resource).

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, M.-H. 1982. Micronesian Poaceae: Critical and distributional notes. Micronesica 18(2):45-102.

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

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

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.

Lorence, David/Flynn, Tim. 1999. New naturalized plant records for the Hawaiian Islands. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1998. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 59:3-6.

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

Oppenheimer, Hank. 2007. New plant records from Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i for 2006. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2006. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 96:17-34.

Oppenheimer, Hank. 2008. New Hawaiian plant records for 2007. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2007. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 100:22-38.

Queensland Herbarium. 2002. Invasive Naturalised Plants in Southeast Queensland, alphabetical by genus. Modified from: Batianoff, George N. and Butler, Don W. (2002). Assessment of Invasive naturalized plants in south-east Queensland. Appendix. Plant Protection Quarterly 17, 27-34. 11 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. 494 pp.

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

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).

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