A quick guide to the alien grasses of South Africa for SANBI Alien interns
Sorghum is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae. Seventeen of the twenty-five species are native to Australia, with the range of some extending to Africa, Asia, Mesoamerica, and certain islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Johnson grass or Johnsongrass, Sorghum halepense, is a plant in the grass family, Poaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, but grows throughout Europe and the Middle East. The plant has been introduced to all continents except Antarctica, and most larger islands and archipelagos. It reproduces by rhizomes and seeds.
Miscanthus floridulus, Pacific Island silvergrass, is a species of perennial grass in the Poaceae family.
Chrysopogon aciculatus (syn. Andropogon aciculatus) is a species of grass native to the tropics of Asia, Polynesia, and Australia at low elevations. Common names include amorseco (Spanish, "dry love") (not to be confused with the amor seco tree, Alchornea glandulosa), lesser spear grass, Mackie's pest, pilipiliula, and ...more ↓
Themeda quadrivalvis is a species of grass known by the common names grader grass, habana grass, and kangaroo grass, not to be confused with Themeda triandra, which is also known as kangaroo grass. It is native to India, Nepal, and Malaysia. It can also be found in many other places as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. It occurs ...more ↓
Panicum antidotale Retz. (Punjabi: ਘਮੂਰ ghamur, English: blue panicgrass) is a tall (up to 3 metres), coarse, woody perennial grass throughout the Himalaya and the Upper Gangetic Plain and specifically in various regions of the Indian state of Punjab and the Pakistan province of Punjab and the neighbouring areas of these regions. The plant has strong spreading ...more ↓
Cenchrus echinatus is a species of grass known by the common names southern sandbur, spiny sandbur, southern sandspur, and in Australia, Mossman River grass. It is native to North and South America.
Cenchrus longispinus is a species of grass, also known as spiny burr grass or gentle Annie. Its fruits are clumped into "burrs" with sharp, barbed spines that can penetrate the hides and mouth of grazing animals. They can also become lodged in human clothing, causing some discomfort.
Andropogon virginicus is a species of grass known by several common names, including broomsedge bluestem, yellowsedge bluestem and (in Australia, because it was introduced to that country after being used as packaging for bottles of American whiskey) whiskey grass. It is native to the southeastern United States and as far north as the Great Lakes. It is ...more ↓
Setaria faberi, the Japanese bristlegrass, nodding bristle-grass, Chinese foxtail, Chinese millet, giant bristlegrass, giant foxtail or nodding foxtail, is an Asian grass. It is a summer annual, with plants emerging from seeds in the spring, and setting seeds in the late summer or fall.
Setaria palmifolia is a species of grass known by the common names palmgrass, highland pitpit, hailans pitpit, short pitpit, broadleaved bristlegrass, and knotroot. In Spanish it is called pasto de palma and in Samoan vao 'ofe 'ofe. It is native to temperate and tropical Asia. It is known elsewhere as an ...more ↓
Paspalum dilatatum is a species of grass known by the common name dallisgrass, Dallas grass, or sticky heads. It is native to Brazil and Argentina, but it is known throughout the world as an introduced species and at times a common weed. Its rapid growth and spreading rhizomes make it an invasive pest in some areas. It is present in the southern half of ...more ↓
Paspalum distichum is a species of grass. Common names include knotgrass, water finger-grass, couch paspalum, eternity grass, gingergrass, and Thompson grass. Its native range is obscure because it has long been present on most continents, and in most areas it is certainly an introduced species. Its native range probably includes parts ...more ↓
Paspalum urvillei is a species of grass known by the common name Vasey's grass, or Vaseygrass. It is native to South America, and it is known in parts of North America as an introduced species. It is a noxious weed where it has been introduced in Hawaii and New Caledonia. It grows well in disturbed habitat, often in moist areas. This is a rhizomatous perennial ...more ↓
Paspalum vaginatum is a species of grass known by many names, including seashore paspalum, biscuit grass, saltwater couch, silt grass, and swamp couch in the English language, grama de costa, grama de mar, gramilla blanca, and gramón in Spanish, herbe rampante in French, and ...more ↓
Pennisetum alopecuroides, the Chinese pennisetum, Chinese fountaingrass, dwarf fountain grass, foxtail fountain grass, or swamp foxtail grass, is a species of perennial grass native to Asia and Australia. Culms are erect, and 60–100 cm long; leaf-blades are erect or drooping; flat, or conduplicate, or involute; and from 10–45 cm long by 3–6 mm ...more ↓
The tropical grass species Pennisetum clandestinum is known by several common names, most often kikuyu grass, as it is native to the region of East Africa that is home to the Gĩkũyũ tribe. Because of its rapid growth and aggressive nature, it is categorised as a noxious weed in some regions. However, it is also a popular garden lawn species in Australia, New Zealand, ...more ↓
Pennisetum pedicellatum, known simply as desho or as desho grass, is an indigenous grass of Ethiopia belonging to the Poaceae family of monocot angiosperm plants. It is also known as annual kyasuwa grass in Nigeria, bare in Mauritania, and deenanath grass in India. It grows in its native geographic location, naturally spreading across the ...more ↓
Pennisetum polystachion, the mission grass, is a species of grass native to tropical Africa, and is an invasive species in Northern Australia and in Sri Lanka.
Pennisetum purpureum, also known as Napier grass, elephant grass or Uganda grass, is a species of perennial tropical grass native to the African grasslands. It has low water and nutrient requirements, and therefore can make use of otherwise uncultivated lands. Historically, this wild species has been used primarily for grazing; recently, however, it has been ...more ↓
Pennisetum setaceum, commonly known as crimson fountaingrass, is a C4 perennial bunch grass that is native to open, scrubby habitats in East Africa, tropical Africa, Middle East and SW Asia. It has been introduced to many parts of the world as an ornamental plant, and has become an invasive species in some of them. It is drought-tolerant, grows fast, reaches 3 feet in ...more ↓
Pennisetum villosum is a species of grass known by the common name feathertop grass. It is native to northeastern Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula, and it is grown elsewhere as an ornamental plant. It can sometimes be found growing wild where it has escaped cultivation. This is a perennial grass growing in rhizomatous clumps, producing erect stems up to about 75 ...more ↓
Imperata brevifolia is a species of grass known by the common name California satintail. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Texas and northern Mexico, where it grows in arid regions where water is available.
Saccharum spontaneum (wild sugarcane, Kans grass, Bengali: কাশ, translit. kash, Hindi: काँस, translit. kām̥s, Odia: କାଶତଣ୍ଡି, translit. kāśataṇḍi, Assamese: কঁহুৱা, খাগৰী, translit. ...more ↓