Invasiveness Assessment - African feather grass (Pennisetum macrourum) in Victoria (Nox)
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Plant invasiveness is determined by evaluating a plant’s biological and ecological characteristics against criteria that encompass establishment requirements, growth rate and competitive ability, methods of reproduction, and dispersal mechanisms.
| Each characteristic, or criterion, is assessed against a list of intensity ratings. Depending upon information found, a rating of Low, Medium Low, Medium High or High is assigned to that criterion. Where no data is available to answer a criterion, a rating of medium (M) is applied. A description of the invasiveness criteria and intensity ratings used in this process can be viewed here. |
The following table provides information on the invasiveness of African feather grass.
A more detailed description of the methodology of the Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method can be viewed below:
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (PDF - 630 KB)
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (DOC - 1026 KB)
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Common Name: African feather grass
Scientific name: Pennisetum macrourum
| Question | Comments | Reference | Rating |
| Establishment | |||
| Germination requirements? | “Most reproduction is by rhizomes which grow rapidly in spring and summer.” Requires natural seasonal disturbance such as spring/summer temperatures. | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) | MH |
| Establishment requirements? | “…it occurs normally on streambanks, roadsides and poorer pastures.” “Plants dislike shading and rarely establish under forest canopies.” Carr et al (1992) states the grass mostly occurs in lowland grassland & grassy woodland, riparian vegetation and freshwater wetland (seasonal). Requires open space for optimal growth. | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) Carr et al (1992) | ML |
| How much disturbance is required? | While it occurs on roadsides and waste place, it is also present on the banks of small creeks and rivers, and poorly maintained pastures. Establishes in areas that are subject to some disturbance. | DPIWE (2002) | MH |
| Growth/Competitive | |||
| Life form? | Perennial grass. “The plants become dormant more or less dormant through winter new shoots being produced from rhizomes and crowns each spring.” | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) | MH |
| Allelopathic properties? | None documented. |  | L |
| Tolerates herb pressure? | “The coarse leaves of mature plants are of low palatability and not grazed by stock except when there is an extreme shortage of other feed, such as in times of drought.” Consumed but not preferred by grazing animals. | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) | MH |
| Normal growth rate? | “Many infestations are small and do not spread readily but, under suitable conditions, strong rhizome growth produces dense clumps within a few years.” Moderately rapid growth rate under optimum conditions. | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) | MH |
| Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc? | “Established plants are relatively drought resistant.” “Large plants are also capable of totally blocking waterways and channels by trapping silt and debris.” Able to withstand waterlogging. | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) DPIWE (2002) | MH |
| Reproduction | |||
| Reproductive system | Reproduces by seed and rhizomes. | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) | H |
| Number of propagules produced? | “In dense patches, over 100,000 seeds have been produced per square metre per year, but in most years the number is far less because usually many florets are sterile.” Each plant may produce more than 2,000 seeds per annum. | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) | H |
| Propagule longevity? | “The majority of seeds are not long lived in the soil but a small proportion appears to remain viable for several years under field conditions.” “The seeds exhibit a high level of viability, however, dormant longevity is restricted to a few years.” Seeds survive < 5 years. | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) DPIWE (2002) | L |
| Reproductive period? | The plant reproduces mostly by vegetative means from stout rhizomes. Shoots are produced from rhizomes and crowns each spring. While it dominates the vegetation in discrete patches, it is not known to create monoculture. | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) | MH |
| Time to reproductive maturity? | “A young plant starts to develop rhizomes when about 7 months old, and by 32 months can have produced a clump of new shoots over an area 1.5 metres in diameter.” Produces propagules in one growing season (< 1 year). | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) | MH |
| Dispersal | |||
| Number of mechanisms? | “Because of their bristles, seeds are well equipped to cling to clothing and bags, and to the wool and hair of animals. Seed is also spread readily by water which accounts for the infestations along streams. Wind dispersal is also of some local importance.” | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) | MH |
| How far do they disperse? | “Seed is also spread readily by water which accounts for the infestations along streams.” Where plants occur on stream banks, seed could disperse more than one kilometre. | Parsons & Cuthbertson (2001) | H |
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