Is Cogon grass invasive species?
Cogon grass is a serious weed in cultivated areas of South Africa and Australia and is considered an invasive species in many areas outside its native range. Some cultivars are grown as ornamentals, and the plant is commonly used for erosion control.
Why is cogongrass a problem?
Cogongrass fires are hotter, faster and higher than native grass fires. These factors can spell trouble for people and structures near large infestations. Cogongrass not only replaces native plants, on which wildlife feed, it also has very high silica content, and therefore is unpalatable to native wildlife.
What eats Cogon grass?
Researchers have found a midge from Indonesia that attacks cogongrass. Among the arthropods they found, Cuda and his team discovered a midge from Indonesia that attacks cogongrass. Cuda and his team are focusing on the Orseolia javanica midge that causes cogongrass to produce linear galls at the expense of leaves.
Do cows eat cogongrass?
“Cattle will eat cogongrass when the plant is young,” says Rick Williams, Extension Forestry Specialist, West Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida. “But as it matures, the plant has silica on the edges and will cut cows’ mouths. Cogongrass spreads primarily from rhizomes and rhizome fragments.
Is Red Baron Grass invasive?
This plant also has the name “bloodgrass”. Earlier, it was because of its red color. Now, since it is one of the world’s worst invasive plants, it almost deserves the name because it exterminates other native plants as it spreads!
How does cogongrass affect the environment?
Cogongrass is spreading rapidly across Alabama and the southeast, reducing forest productivity, destroying wildlife habitat, encroaching in pasture and hayland, and impacting rights-of way. If left unchecked, it can quickly become the dominant understory, choking out desirable vegetation.
When did cogongrass get to the US?
1912
Native to Southeast Asia, cogongrass was accidentally introduced into the United States as packing material in an orange crate that arrived in Grand Bay, Alabama, in 1912. A few years later, it was intentionally planted as a potential forage crop in Mississippi and as a soil stabilizer in Florida.
Can animals eat Cogon grass?
“Although cogongrass looks like a superb forage, we learned animals that consume cogongrass as the sole forage lose weight rather than gain weight,” Byrd said.”
Will goats eat Cogon grass?
“Even goats won’t eat cogongrass,” says Browning. Cogongrass can have a negative impact on numerous wildlife species, because the insects and other food sources they rely on simply cannot survive in cogongrass, and the grass is so thick it’s unsuitable for nesting.
Can goats eat Cogon grass?
Is Japanese bloodgrass invasive?
What is Japanese Blood Grass? Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica) is a perennial plant. They have little invasive potential when they are in their cultivated form, but if the plants are allowed to revert to green, they can become a nuisance plant.
Where are cogongrass invasive species in the south?
For several years botanists and land managers have been on the lookout for Cogongrass ( Imperata cylindrica) in southern Arkansas. This aggressive species, native to Southeast Asia, has spread rapidly across the Deep South over the past few decades.
When was cogongrass introduced to the United States?
Cogongrass ( Imperata cylindrica ), an invasive grass from Asia, is considered “the seventh worst weed in the world”. It was introduced, accidently, into Alabama in 1911 as seed in packing materials from Japan. This species is wide-spread in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi and is starting to spread in Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Why is cogon grass bad for the forest?
Cogon grass infestations can reduce pine survival and growth, and in fire situations, may result in complete mortality of overstory trees due to flammable oils in the grass blades raising the intensity and severity of prescribed burns. Over time cogon grass may significantly impact management and productivity of pines on infested sites.
How big of an area does cogongrass affect?
Cogongrass now contaminates 1.25 million acres in the southeastern United States. This invasive exotic can displace native plants and animals as well as threaten the safety of people and their structures.