Family: Poaceae
High Risk Traits:
- Broad climate suitability
- Grows, and able to spread, in regions with tropical climates
- Naturalized on Kure and Midway atolls, French Frigate Shoals, and all of the main islands except Ni'ihau and Kaho'olawe; widely naturalized elsewhere
- A disturbance adapted weedy grass of cultivated areas, lawns, pastures, and waste places
- An agricultural weed of orchards, vegetable farms, nurseries and young oil palm plantations
- A potential environmental weed impacting coastal vegetation
- Other Eleusine species are invasive weeds
- Potentially allelopathic
- Cyanogenic or hydrogen cyanide toxic, can be poisonous to stock, particularly calves and sheep
- Potential host of other crop pests and pathogens
- Tolerates many soil types
- Reproduces by prolific seed production
- Hybridizes with other Eleusine species
- Autogamous and self-fertilized
- Reaches maturity in one growing season
- Seeds dispersed by wind and water, as a contaminant in crop seeds and soils, and attached to animal furs, mud and machinery
- Viable seeds also dispersed by grazing livestock
- Seeds may remain viable in the soil for 3+ years
- Some populations develop tolerance of or resistance to herbicides
- Tolerates mowing and browsing
Low Risk Traits:
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
- Palatable to grazing animals, especially at younger stages of growth
- Thrives in sun and high light environments (dense shade may limit spread)
- Not reported to spread vegetatively
- Herbicides may provide effective control (if resistance has not developed)
