Family: Poaceae (Grass Family)
Native range: Africa
Description: A robust, rhizomatous, clumping grass from 6 to 10 feet tall with elongate leaf blades from 3/4- to 1-inch wide and 10 to 24 inches long with fine-toothed margins. Each leaf has a prominent white midrib. Cylindrical flower spikes are tawny or purplish, 6 to 10 inches long and 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches wide, somewhat resembling cattails, Typha spp.
Ecological threat: Napier grass aggressively invades freshwater wetlands, canal banks, and other areas with moist soil. It forms extensive stands and crowds out all other vegetation. The seeds are wind-dispersed but are also eaten by seed-eating birds such as buntings, sparrows, and finches, as well as wetland birds such as gallinules, red-winged blackbirds, and ducks.
Distribution in Florida: From the western panhandle southward through the peninsula but primarily in south-central and southern Florida.
Background: Introduced into Florida as a forage plant for cattle and now well-entrenched in wetland habitats throughout much of Florida. A related species, fountain grass, Pennisetum setaceum, has been introduced as an ornamental grass for the landscape trade and is beginning to escape cultivation in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Its further spread in Florida is likely. |
