Paspalum urvillei Steud., Poaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Vasey grass

French: herbe de Vasey, paspalum d'Urville, paspalum géant

Maori (Cook Islands): tinikarāti

Spanish: hierba de Vasey, paja boba, paja mansa, pasto macho

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Densely tufted robust perennial [grass]; culms 1-2 m tall, erect, glabrous, basally thickened; sheaths carinate upwards, lower ones pubescent, purplish; upper ones glabrous, green, 8-27 cm long; ligule very conspicuous (3-) 5-8 (-12) mm long, membranous; blades linear, acute, 12-55 cm long, 4-15 mm wide, flat, hairy at base; panicles 10-40 cm long, of 6-25 crowded racemes, these erect or ascending, 5-13 cm long, apical ones shorter than basal ones; spikelets paired, on rachises about 0.8 mm wide, elliptic ovate, broad, subacute, 2-3 mm long; glume and sterile lemma subequal, slightly apiculate, thin, ovate, 3-nerved, green to greenish-purple, pilose-ciliate; fertile lemma 1.6 mm long" (Stone, 1970; p. 217).

Description from World Grass Species.

Habitat/ecology:  A weed of disturbed areas.  Grows up to 1000 m in elevation in New Caledonia.  In Hawai‘i, grows in dense stands in mesic areas along forest roads, trails and open disturbed areas at low to mid-elevations, where it displaces native vegetation (Motooka et al., 2003); "naturalized along ditches and roadsides and in fields, pastures, and other disturbed, usually mesic areas, 20-1,280 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1577). In New Caledonia, "maintenant largement répandu, notamment en bords de pistes forestières (même en terrain serpentineux) où il atteint 1000 m d'altitude" (MacKee, 1994; p. 61).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Tropical America but widely introduced in tropical countries.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ta‘u Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. 47)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. 37)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1972) (voucher ID: BISH 83841) Taxon name on voucher: Paspalum urvillei Steud.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 55)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		Sykes, Bill (year unknown)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1955) (voucher ID: BISH 31623) Taxon name on voucher: Paspalum urvillei Steud.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1955) (voucher ID: BISH 31624) Taxon name on voucher: Paspalum urvillei Steud.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1927) (voucher ID: BISH 126260) Taxon name on voucher: Paspalum urvillei Steud.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 105)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 217)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 55)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1577)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1577)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1577)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1577)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1577)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1577)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) 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. 381) Largement répandue, notamment au bord des pistes forestières (même en terrain serpentineux), atteint 1000 m d'altitude.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 61) Voucher cited: Barrau in Baumann 7381
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Kermadec Islands	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 569) "Usually roadsides, sometimes in large patches; also waste land, manuka scrub".
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive	Sykes, W. R./West, C. J. (1996) (p. 452)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 107)

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. 107)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
China China	China (People's Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 107)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 107)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 107)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 569) "Usually roadsides, sometimes in large patches; also waste land, manuka scrub".
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 269)

Comments:  A problem species in Hawai‘i.

Control: 

Chemical: "Sensitive to glyphosate and imazapyr. On Kaua‘i, drizzle applications of glyphosate at 0.5 lb/acre suppressed vasey grass on Nu‘alolo Crossover Trail for 6 months. On the Alaka‘i Swamp Trail suppression by the same method was excellent and follow-up treatments required very little glyphosate at 6 and 12 months after treatment" (Motooka et al., 2003).

Additional information:  Information from the book "Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide" (Motooka et al., 2003). (PDF format).
Photos and additional information at University of Florida, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1927. Voucher specimen #BISH 126260 (Gillespie, J.W. 4276).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1955. Voucher specimen #BISH 31623 (Parham, J.W. 9114).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1955. Voucher specimen #BISH 31624 (Parham, J.W. 9726).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1972. Voucher specimen #BISH 83841 (Whistler, W.A. W325).

Edgar, E./Connor, H. 2000. Flora of New Zealand, vol. V: Gramineae. Manaaki Whenua Press. .

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

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

Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe. 1996. Conséquences des introductions d'espèces animales et végétales sur la biodiversité en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Rev. Ecol. (Terre Vie) 51:375-401.

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.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

Motooka, Philip/Castro, Luisa/Nelson, Duane/ Nagai, Guy/Ching, Lincoln. 2003. Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 184 pp.

Motooka, Philip/Ching, Lincoln/Nagai, Guy. 2002. Herbicidal Weed Control Methods for Pasture and Natural Areas of Hawaii. Cooperative Extension Service, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai‘i. CTAHR free publication WC-8.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2000. Observations on invasive plant species in American Samoa.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 51 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Sykes, Bill. 0. Bill Sykes, pers. com.

Sykes, W. R./West, C. J. 1996. New records and other information on the vascular flora of the Kermadec Islands. New Zealand Journal of Botany 34:447-462.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. 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).

Whistler, W. A. 1988. Checklist of the weed flora of western Polynesia. Technical Paper No. 194, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 69 pp.