Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Imperata cylindrica
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Cogongrass from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Imperata cylindrica
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDING Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Imperata brasiliensis
INCLUDING Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Imperata cylindrica
COMMON NAME:
Cogongrass, Bloodroot Grass, Brazilian Satintail
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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wwwplantsifasufl_cogon
https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/imperata-cylindrica/
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JK Marlow jkm080604_003
June Greenville County SC
Roadside
Spikelike, tightly branched panicle. Spikelets obscured by silky hairs, per Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests (Miller, 2003).
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JK Marlow jkm080604_010
June Greenville County SC
Roadside
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JK Marlow jkm080604_021
June Greenville County SC
Roadside
Silky spikelike panicles are terminal, cylindrical, 1-8" long, 0.2-1" wide, per Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests (Miller, 2003).
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JK Marlow jkm080604_038
June Greenville County SC
Roadside
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JK Marlow s080604_d1
June Greenville County SC
Roadside
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JK Marlow s080604_d2
June Greenville County SC
Roadside
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JK Marlow s080604_e
June Greenville County SC
Roadside
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JK Marlow s080604_e2
June Greenville County SC
Roadside
Grain released with hairy husks for wind dispersal, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
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JK Marlow jkm080702_009
July Pickens County SC
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JK Marlow jkm080702_013
July Pickens County SC
Leaf margins finely serrate, per Field Guide to the Identification of Cogongrass.
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JK Marlow jkm080702_020
July Pickens County SC
Cogongrass blades are varying heights - even as high as 6' - averaging 3-4'
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JK Marlow jkm080702_041
July Pickens County SC
New plants arise from horizontal underground stems or "rhizomes", per Field Guide to the Identification of Cogongrass.
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JK Marlow jkm080702_045
July Pickens County SC
Cogongrass typically grows in dense patches, often circular, per Field Guide to the Identification of Cogongrass.
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Jean Everett jbeicylindrica_clumpsmtg
November Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Clumps about to meet.
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Jean Everett jbeicylindrica_habit
November Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Habit.
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Jean Everett jbeicylindrica_leaftop
November Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Top side of leaf.
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Jean Everett jbeicylindrica_lfmidvein
November Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Off center midvein.
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Jean Everett jbeicylindrica_roadside
November Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Roadside stand.
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Jean Everett jbeicylindrica_sheathb
November Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Hairs on sheath.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Imperata cylindrica
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Imperata cylindrica
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDING
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Imperata brasiliensis
INCLUDING
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Imperata cylindrica
748
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Pinelands, grassy roadsides, pastures, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: southeast Asia, southern Asia, & possibly east Africa
Common in GA Coastal Plain, uncommon in SC Coastal Plain (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council, 2012
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- SC List of Regulated Pest Plant Species, 2017
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
- USDA Federal Noxious Weeds, 091820
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
LEAVES:
Simple
Most leaves arising from near the base, with overlapping sheaths
RHIZOMES? STOLONS?
Rhizomatous, forming clonal colonies
FLOWER:
Spring
Spikelets with silvery-white hairs
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Grain brown
Grain
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p228
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p361
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p084
- Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950) p737
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p045