Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR)

Panicum maximum
(Poaceae)

Guinea grass, green panic

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Panicum maximum is a robust perennial grass, 3-7 feet tall which forms large bunches with very short, thick rootstalks. Stems are stout, somewhat flattened, with long hairs at the swollen joints, with leaves 10-30 inches long, 1/2-1 inch wide.  "[Panicum maximum] was first accidentally introduced to the Hawaiian Islands 'with living plants from abroad' about 1870. Since that time it has been widely planted at lower altitudes on all the islands."  Panicum maximum has an "ability to grown in dry areas and to withstand long periods of drought" and "produces a large crop of forage."  Panicum maximum is native to Africa. 


Species description or overview

Panicum maximum information from CTAHR (Motooka et al.) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Information about Panicum maximum from "Weeds of Hawaii's pastures and natural areas: an identification and management guide" (Motooka et al. 2003) is provided by the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR).

Panicum maximum information from PIER
Information on Panicum maximum as relevant to Pacific Islands is provided by the Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk project (PIER).


Taxonomy & nomenclature

GRIN nomenclature info for Panicum maximum
Nomenclatural information about Panicum maximum is provided by USDA/ARS/NGRP/GRIN.

Panicum maximum information from the Smithsonian's Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Information about Panicum maximum--including nomenclature and synonymy, and status and distribution in Hawaii--is provided by the "Flora of the Hawaiian Islands" website of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Links from this page include descriptive information about the species, as well as worldwide distributional information and general information about the genus.

Panicum maximum information from ITIS
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System ITIS provides authoritative taxonomic information on Panicum maximum, as well as other plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

IPNI nomenclature info for Panicum maximum
Nomenclatural information about Panicum maximum is provided by The International Plant Names Index (IPNI).


Impacts

Panicum maximum (Poaceae): species information from GCW
Information on Panicum maximum as relevant to Pacific Islands is provided by the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).


Risk assessments

Panicum maximum weed risk assessment for Hawaii-Pacific
Results of a weed risk assessment for Panicum maximum for the Hawaii-Pacific region are presented by the Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment team.


Control methods

Panicum maximum information from CTAHR (Motooka et al.) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Information about Panicum maximum from "Weeds of Hawaii's pastures and natural areas: an identification and management guide" (Motooka et al. 2003) is provided by the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR).

Herbicidal weed control methods for pastures and natural areas of Hawaii View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
This comprehensive review of herbicide application methods includes calculations for formulations, and appendices listing herbicides registered for use in Hawaii and their toxicities (University of Hawaii, 2002).


Images

Images of Panicum maximum (Poaceae) (Guinea grass)
Links to high-resolution free images of Panicum maximum (Poaceae) (Guinea grass) by Forest & Kim Starr (USGS) are available here.

Panicum maximum information from the Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Information about Panicum maximum in Hawaii is available from the Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands.

Panicum maximum images from PIER
Images of Panicum maximum provided by the Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk project (PIER).


Distribution

Panicum maximum information from the Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Information about Panicum maximum in Hawaii is available from the Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands.

Panicum maximum information from the Smithsonian's Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Information about Panicum maximum--including nomenclature and synonymy, and status and distribution in Hawaii--is provided by the "Flora of the Hawaiian Islands" website of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Links from this page include descriptive information about the species, as well as worldwide distributional information and general information about the genus.

Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy (2000) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
The status of invasive plants, vertebrates, arthropods, molluscs, and crustaceans, and options for a regional invasive species strategy for the South Pacific are presented in this series of articles from the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, 2000.

New plant records for the Hawaiian Archipelago (2001) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
New island records, new state records, and range extensions of plants located on Midway Atoll, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii, State of Hawaii are in this report.


Where to see this species

Kahoolawe (Kanaloa): natural areas of Hawaii
Forest and Kim Starr provide information about the island of Kahoolawe as a natural area in Hawaii. Links to additional resources are provided, as well as links to images of plant species found on Kahoolawe.


Books

Weed handbook of Western Polynesia
Whistler, W. Arthur. 1983. Weed handbook of Western Polynesia. Eschborn: Deutsche Gesellschaft f#r Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH. ISBN: 3-88085-227-8.

Weeds of Hawaii's Pastures and Natural Areas: An Identification and Management Guide
Motooka, Philip, Luisa Castro, Duane Nelson, Guy Nagai, and Lincoln Ching. 2003. Weeds of Hawaii's Pastures and Natural Areas: An Identification and Management Guide. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (University of Hawaii--Manoa), Honolulu. 184 pp. color illus. ISBN: 1-929325-14-2.

Identification and biology of nonnative plants in Florida's natural areas (second edition)
Langeland, K.A., H.M. Cherry, C.M. McCormick, and K.A. Craddock Burks. 2008. Identification and biology of nonnative plants in Florida's natural areas (second edition). The University of Florida IFAS Communication Services (Gainesville). 193+ pp. illus. ISBN: 978-0-916287-70-2.

Grasses of the Hawaiian ranges (book)
A complete list of all species covered in Grasses of the Hawaiian ranges (Whitney, Hosaka, and Ripperton, 1939) is presented, along with a complete bibliographic citation. This book "describes and illustrates 103 of the most important grasses in Hawaii.... There are many grasses, either recently introduced or slow to become acclimatized, that have not yet established themselves on the ranges; these are not here included. Species that are found outside the general range areas, as in summit bogs, forest reserves, and national parks, are also omitted. Keys to the tribes and genera [are also included." ([adapted] from the book's introduction)


Full-text articles

Kanaio Natural Area Reserve: biological inventory and management recommendations
Medeiros, Arthur C., Lloyd L. Loope, and C.G. Chimera. 1993. Kanaio Natural Area Reserve: biological inventory and management recommendations. Natural Area Reserve System, State of Hawaii.

Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawaii: Management and research
Stone, Charles P., Clifford W. Smith, and J. Timothy Tunison (eds.) . 1992. Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawaii: Management and research. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit. ISBN: 0-8248-1474-6.

Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy
South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP). Sherley, Greg (ed.) . 2000. Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. Apia, Samoa: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme. ISBN: 982-04-0214-X.

The grasses of Hawaii
Hitchcock, A.S. 1922. The grasses of Hawaii. Honolulu, Bishop Museum Press : New York, Kraus Reprint Co. (1974). 235 pp. illus. (line drawings).

Weeds of Hawaii's Pastures and Natural Areas: An Identification and Management Guide
Motooka, Philip, Luisa Castro, Duane Nelson, Guy Nagai, and Lincoln Ching. 2003. Weeds of Hawaii's Pastures and Natural Areas: An Identification and Management Guide. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (University of Hawaii--Manoa), Honolulu. 184 pp. color illus. ISBN: 1-929325-14-2.

New plant records from the Hawaiian archipelago
Starr, Forest, Kim Martz, and Lloyd L. Loope. 2002. New plant records from the Hawaiian archipelago. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2000. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 69:16-27.

Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants on Midway Atoll, Hawaii.
Starr, F., K. Starr, and Loope L. 2006. Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants on Midway Atoll, Hawaii. An addendum to the 1999 Botanical Survey of Midway Atoll.

Botanical survey of Midway Atoll
Starr, F. and K. Martz. 1999. Botanical survey of Midway Atoll. In: 1995-1999 Baseline Surveys for Alien Species in Marine and Terrestrial Habitats on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Oahu Offshore Islets Botanical Survey
Starr, F. and K. Starr. 2006. Oahu Offshore Islets Botanical Survey. Report prepared for State Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Offshore Islet Restoration Committee, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Lanai Offshore Islets Botanical Survey
Starr, F., K. Starr, and K. Wood. 2006. Lanai Offshore Islets Botanical Survey. Report prepared for State Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Offshore Islet Restoration Committee, Honolulu, Hawaii.


Other resources

The grasses of Hawaii
Hitchcock, A.S. 1922. The grasses of Hawaii. Honolulu, Bishop Museum Press : New York, Kraus Reprint Co. (1974). 235 pp. illus. (line drawings).


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The Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) project was historically funded by the Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) through PIERC (USGS) with support from HCSU (UH Hilo). More details are available online. Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)

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