Family: Poaceae
Origin, Description & Uses
Stenotaphrum secundatum is native to the southeastern United States, the Caribbean, and parts of Central and South America, as well as West Tropical Africa. It is a warm-season, stoloniferous grass that forms dense, spreading turf through aboveground runners, creating a thick, carpet-like lawn. It is widely cultivated and naturalized across tropical and subtropical regions, including all major Hawaiian Islands (Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi) and Midway Atoll. This species is commonly valued as a lawn and landscape grass due to its ability to form durable, low-maintenance groundcover, and it is also used for pasturage in some areas.
Risks & Threats
Although naturalized and intentionally planted throughout Hawaiʻi, Stenotaphrum secundatum can exhibit invasive tendencies in suitable habitats. Its vigorous stolons allow it to spread beyond intended plantings, forming dense mats that can suppress native vegetation and reduce habitat diversity, particularly in disturbed or coastal areas. Once established, it can be difficult to remove and may compete with native groundcovers and seedlings. While it remains an important and widely used turf and forage species, its persistence in the landscape warrants careful management to prevent unintended spread into sensitive ecosystems.
High Risk Traits:
- Thrives in tropical/subtropical climates
- Naturalized and weedy (Puerto Rico, New Zealand)
- Allelopathic
- Host to pests and viruses
- Tolerates shade and varied soils
- Spreads vegetatively via stolons
- Readily dispersed by waste, machinery, and intentional planting
- Tolerates mowing and fragmentation
Low Risk Traits:
- Poor seed production; rarely reproduces by seed
- Non-toxic and palatable to livestock
- No specialized dispersal mechanisms (wind, water, animals)
