Piptatherum miliaceum (L.) Coss., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 7 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Agrostis miliacea L.; Oryzopsis miliacea (L.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Asch. & Schweinf.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: rice millet, smilo, smilo grass

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Habit: Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 100-150 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 15-30 cm long; 5-10 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; scaberulous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate. Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 20-40 cm long. Primary panicle branches 4-8-nate; whorled at most nodes. Panicle branches scaberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.  Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 3 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3-veined. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume elliptic; 3 mm long; 1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3-veined. Upper glume apex acuminate. Florets: Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally compressed; 2.5 mm long; coriaceous; dark brown; shiny; without keel; 3-veined. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex obtuse; awned; 1-awned. Principal lemma awn flexuous; 3-5 mm long overall; deciduous. Palea coriaceous; 2-veined; without keels"  (GrassBase, the Online World Grass Flora).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Zealand, "in waste land, pasture, and on dry banks"  (Edgar & Connor, 2000; p. 83).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Europe, western Asia, northern Africa, Madeira and Canary Islands (GRIN).

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	Hawai‘i (Big) Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (2000) (voucher ID: BISH 667717) Taxon name on voucher: Piptatherum miliaceum

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)	New South Wales	introduced invasive cultivated	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) Grown to stabilize mine-dumps in moist and semi-arid regions, and frequently spread from such plantings.
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 83) Naturalised from Eurasia.
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011) AZ, ID, MD, NJ, NV, PA, UT

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

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 2000. Voucher specimen #BISH667717(Steve Dougill s.n.).

Clayton, W.D./Harman, K.T./Williamson, H. 2011. World Grass Species: Descriptions, Identification, and Information Retrieval [GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora]. The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

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

National Herbarium of New South Wales. 2011. PlantNet: New South Wales Flora online. The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust Version 2.0. Online resource.

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.