Melinis repens
Common Name(s): Natal grass
Non-Native to Florida
Origin: Africa1
This species appears on the following legally prohibited plant lists
UF-IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas
CATEGORY I on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s (FLEPPC) 2017 List of Invasive Plant Species
Download a page (PDF) from Identification and Biology of Nonnative Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas – Second Edition1
Natal grass
Introduction
The Poaceae are one of the largest families of flowering plants with about 500 genera and 8,000 species. Rhynchelytrum repens is an annual grass native to South Africa and is found throughout many counties in Florida. It was introduced as a forage species, but lacks the nutritional qualities of other species. Natal grass prefers dry conditions and is found in waste lands and perennial crop fields. The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council lists natal grass as a Category I invasive.
Description
Natal grass possesses branching culms that root at the nodes. These are able to reach 20 to 40 inches in height. The leaves are linear and 8 to 12 inches in length and grow from erect clumps. The flowers are borne in panicles 4 to 8 inches long, and are purple to pink in color with reddish hairs that turn gray with age. Although natal grass will perenniate, is primarily propagated by seeds, which are readily windborne.
Impacts
Natal grass displaces native vegetation and prevents those species from regenerating. It is a primary invader of abandoned crop fields and unimproved pastures and prevents the natural succession of native species such as Andropogon and desirable forbs.
Management
Preventative
Do not allow seed setting to occur.
Cultural
Remove all plants in the landscape.
Mechanical
Typically natal grass reseeds and resprouts vigorously following fire and quickly invades disturbed areas. In several areas in south Florida, natal grass has invaded scrub habitat following fire. Mowing will not provide control.
Biological
There are no known biological control agents for natal grass.
Chemical
Spot treatments of glyphosate at 1-2% solution with surfactant will provide good control. Apply prior to flowering and seed set. Imazapyr will provide good control but is non-selective and will persist for several months in the soil. Preliminary research suggests imazapic (Plateau) may provide good control.
References and Useful Links
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Plants Database
Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States
University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
University of Florida’s Cooperative Extension Electronic Data Information Source
Langeland, K.A. and K. Craddock Burks. 1998. Identification and Biology of Non-Native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas. IFAS Publication SP 257. University of Florida,
Gainesville. 165 pp.
The Plant Conservation Alliance’s Alien Plant Working Group. Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). Plant Threats to Pacific Ecosystems
Excerpted from
University of Florida, IFAS Extension, Circular 1529, Invasive Species Management Plans for Florida, 2008 by
Greg MacDonald, Associate Professor Jay Ferrell, Assistant Professor and Extension Weed Specialist
Brent Sellers, Assistant Professor and Extension Weed Specialist
Ken Langeland, Professor and Extension Weed Specialist Agronomy Department, Gainesville and Range Cattle REC, Ona
Tina Duperron-Bond, DPM – Osceola County
Eileen Ketterer-Guest, former Graduate Research Assistant
Description modified January 2014 using Citation #1 below
Citations
1. Identification and Biology of Nonnative Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas – Second Edition, by K.A. Langeland, H.M. Cherry, et al. University of Florida-IFAS Publication # SP 257. 2008.