Family: Poaceae

Axonopus fissifolius (carpet grass, narrow-leaved carpetgrass) is a stolon-forming grass native to tropical America and the warmer subtropical regions of North America. Widely introduced across the humid tropics as a pasture and lawn grass, it thrives in cool, wet environments where many other grasses struggle. In Hawaiʻi, A. fissifolius is already naturalized on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island, where it spreads along hiking trails, stream banks, wet forests, and bogs.

Narrow-leaved carpetgrass is sometimes planted for erosion control on steep slopes and is occasionally used as a lawn grass in shaded or persistently moist areas. Its ability to form dense mats allows it to stabilize soil effectively, but those same traits contribute to its invasive potential.

High Risk Traits:

• Broad climate suitability (tropical/subtropical, wide elevation range)
  
• Naturalized beyond its native range
  
• Documented as a disturbance weed
  
• Congeneric species are serious weeds
  
• Shade tolerant
  
• Tolerates a wide range of soil types and acidity
  
• Can hybridize with related species
  
• Reproduces vegetatively via stolons
  
• High seed production
  
• Propagules dispersed by wind, water, vehicles, animals (internally), and as a contaminant

Low Risk Traits:

• Lacks spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Palatable to livestock
  
• Non-toxic to animals and humans
  
• Not a significant host for major pests or pathogens
  
• Does not create a fire hazard
  
• Not self-compatible (likely requires cross-pollination)
  
• Susceptible to common herbicides