Seed heads range from 2 to 8 inches in length a… Cogon Grass has also infested a large part of Alabama and portions of other southern states. Cogongrass is an aggressive perennial grass that is distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Dickens, R. and Moore, G.M. We have a fact sheet available that can be found here. Cogongrass can invade pastures, natural or planted forests, riparian areas, highway rights-of-way, urban areas, and wetlands. Flowering Time:  Flowering time differs based on local climate. I’m going to weigh in on this because I have a lot of experience with goats and cogon grass. Agnes Lusweti, National Museums of Kenya; Emily Wabuyele, National Museums of Kenya, Paul Ssegawa, Makerere University; John Mauremootoo, BioNET-INTERNATIONAL Secretariat - UK. In its ornamental form it poses little threat to native flora, but it can easily become invasive if given the right conditions (excessive shade, water, well-drained soil). Roots are up to 1.2 m deep, but 0.4 m is typical in sandy soil. Cogon grass, cotton wool grass, silver spike, sword grass, ialang, lusanke (Luganda), mtimbi (Kiswahili), ol'ungu (Maasai) (Imperata cylindrica) invasions in the US: Mechanisms, impacts, and threats to Mechanical If prevention is no longer possible, it is best to treat the weed infestations when they are small to prevent them from establishing (early detection and rapid response). (1974). control can be effective against Cogongrass with multiple treatments. I. cylindrica has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders by the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group and It is on the Federal Noxious Weeds List in the USA. This activity was undertaken as part of the BioNET-EAFRINET UVIMA Project (Taxonomy for Development in East Africa). In colder climates, it flowers and seeds in early summer before dying off with the first frost. Retrieved from https://www.fs.fed.us/invasivespecies/speciesprofiles/documents/cogon-grass.pdf View PDF, Texas Flowers: Flowers are silvery colored cylinders 2-8 inches long. IRRI/NRI (1996). Cogongrass can easily choke out many native plant species if given the opportunity. Imperata Xyleborus glabratus was first detected in 2002 and is one of the 10 ambrosia beetle species in t… Bermuda grass is also the most common grass … Retrieved from http://www.gri.msstate.edu/ipams/species.php?CName=Cogongrass, Miller, J. This document provides a plan for cogongrass management in perennial grass pastures, as well … In colder climates, it flowers and seeds in early summer before dying off with the first frost. biodiversity. Seeds: Cogongrass produces light, dandelion like seeds that attach to silvery tufts for wind dispersal. Phone: (385) 468-4100, TTY | The plant belon gs to t he family Poaceae. However, they aren’t going to clean up an infested field. Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. Imperata arundinacea Cirollo; Lagurus cylindricusL. Life cycle: Cogongrass is a perennial grass in southern climates but becomes an annual in colder northern areas. This fact sheet is adapted from The Environmental Weeds of Australia by Sheldon Navie and Steve Adkins, Centre for Biological Information Technology, University of Queensland. Beauv) is commonly known as Cogon Grass and used in Ayurveda for the treatment of various u rinary disorders. The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce has assembled a task force of scientists, educators, government officials and agricultural leaders to recommend a comprehensive survey and control program for cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) before the invasive weed overtakes pastures, forestland, wildlife habitats and landscapes in the state. The grass blades tend to be yellow to green in color (Figure 1). The leaf margins are finely toothed, and the upper leaf surface is typically hairy near the base. 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