Stenotaphrum secundatum
Environmental Weed (2024)
Common names
buffalo grass
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Grasses
Detailed description
Dense, mat-forming, coarse perennial grass. Stolons stout, long, usually reddish, occasionally with thin rhizomes. Leaves alternate, 40–100 × 4–12 mm, dull greyish to bluish green, flattened strap-like, tip hooded which splits when flattened, blades folded at base, ligule a tiny fringe, auricles missing. Sheath large, broad, with fine green and white stripes, usually has reddish tinge, with 3–4 mm hairs at blade junction. Seedhead rigid, flattened, brittle spike; seeds usually aligned to one side.
Similar taxa
Smothering growth form is similar to kikuyu (Cenchrus clandestinus). The distinctive flattened seedhead, easily separates buffalo grass from all other species.
Habitat
Terrestrial. Light demanding (West, 1996). On Raoul this grass is found on coastal areas and occasionally young plants are found along tracks through the forest and even in the wet forest (West, 1996). Smothers coastal areas (Cameron 1996).
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Ecology
Year naturalised
1872
Origin
Tropical America and Africa
Reason for introduction
Agricultural
Tolerances
Tolerant of salt spray (West, 1996).
Life cycle and dispersal
Perennial. Most spread is by stolon fragments, occasionally by seed. Seeds are mostly dispersed over short distances by wind and over larger distances carried on animals (fur, feathers) and by human activity (West, 1996).
Other information
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
STESEC
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
West CJ. 1996. Assessment of the weed control programme on Raoul Island, Kermadec Group. Science & Research Series No. 98. Department of Conservation, Wellington, NZ. 100 p.