Family: Poaceae

High Risk Traits:

• Broad climate suitability, and elevation range exceeds 1000 m, demonstrating environmental versatility
  
• Thrives in tropical climates
  
• Naturalized on Midway Atoll, Kauai, Oahu, Lanai, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii (Hawaiian Islands) and widely naturalized elsewhere (native range unknown)
  
• An agricultural and significant environmental weed
  
• Other Urochloa (formerly Brachiaria) species are invasive
  
• Allelopathic
  
• May be toxic to horses in certain situations
  
• Host of crop pests and pathogens
  
• Increases fuel load and fire risk
  
• Moderately shade tolerant
  
• Tolerates many soil types
  
• Forms dense cover that excludes other vegetation
  
• Reproduces by seed (rarely) and vegetatively by trailing stems and fragments
  
• Apomictic
  
• Vegetative fragments and seeds (when produced) dispersed by water
  
• Intentionally cultivated by humans as cattle forage
  
• May tolerate some fire and moderate grazing

Low Risk Traits:

• Regarded as a weed of sugar cane, which is no longer an important economic crop in Hawaii. Grass may now be more value for its palatability to cattle
  
• Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
  
• Highly palatable to grazing animals
  
• Reduced, or lack of, seed production minimizes risk for long distance dispersal
  
• Herbicides may provide effective control