Microstegium vimineum

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Japanese Stiltgrass

Illustration from Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Tribe:	Andropogoneae
Genus:	Microstegium
Species:	M. vimineum

Binomial name

Microstegium vimineum
(Trin.) A. Camus

Microstegium vimineum, commonly known as Japanese Stiltgrass or Nepalese browntop, is an annual grass that is common in a wide variety of habitats and is well adapted to low light levels. It is native in much of South Asia, East Asia as well as parts of Southeast Asia. It can be found from Iran in the west, east to China and south to the Philippines. It typically grows to heights between 40 and 100 cm (1.5 to 3.5 feet) and is capable of rooting at each node. The plant flowers in late summer and produces its seeds in the form of achenes shortly thereafter. ^[1]^[2]

The plant was accidentally introduced into the U.S. state of Tennessee around 1919 and is assumed to have entered from packing material used to ship porcelain from China. Since that time it has become a highly aggressive invasive species and is present in most of the eastern states, more than half of which it has been reported to be invasive. It is quite similar to and often grows along with the North American grass Leersia viriginica, but it lacks the distinctive silver stripe on the center of the leaf that is present on Japanese stiltgrass and also flowers one to two months earlier.^[3]^[1]

[edit] Ecology

M. vimineum is capable of out-competing North American native species where it has been introduced. This problem is often exacerbated by the whitetail deer, which does not browse the grass, but instead prefers native species and thereby reduces competition for the exotic plant. Seeds remain viable for five years or more and have high germination rates. It is also a physiologically adaptive species, meaning it can survive low light levels if sufficient nutrients are present, while it can withstand infertile soils when light levels are high and photosynthesis can take place more rapidly. Japanese stiltgrass cannot compete effectively in deep shade, however.^[3]

Microstegium is a warm season grass which can be controlled with pre-emergent herbicides targeted for crabgrass. Post emergent controls can also be successful, such as Calcium acid metanearsonate 8.4% Ortho "Weed-b-Gon" Crabgrass killer for lawns".^[3]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Thieret, John W. (2006), “Mictrostegium”, in Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+, Flora of North America, vol. 25, New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press
^ Chen, Shou-liang ; Phillips, Sylvia M. (2007), “Microstegium vimineum”, in Wu, Z. Y.; Raven, P.H.; Hong, D.Y., Flora of China, vol. 22, Beijing: Science Press; St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press, pp. 593
^ ^a ^b ^c Swearingen, Jil M.; Adams, Sheherezade (2006). Japanese Stiltgrass. Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-06-27.