Invasiveness Assessment - Cyperus (Cyperus teneristolon) in Victoria
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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 Cyperus.
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 - 1 MB)
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Common Name: Cyperus
Scientific name: Cyperus teneristolon
| Question | Comments | Rating | Confidence |
| Establishment | |||
| Germination requirements? | ‘It regrows and germinates during the spring months’ (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). Requires natural seasonal conditions. | MH | M |
| Establishment requirements? | Generally grows in damp areas. ‘..has been observed breaking through special weed proof matting in a revegetation area alongside a creek line’. ‘Shows a preference for damp open areas or rock outcrops ..grows beneath an overstorey of eucalypt [in the Blue Mountains] .. but will also grow in full-sun environments’ (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). Can establish without additional factors. | H | M |
| How much disturbance is required? | Found alongside creeks. ‘. A weed of both semi-arid agricultural crops and damp grasslands’ (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). Can establish in relatively intact or only minor disturbed natural ecosystems. | MH | M |
| Growth/Competitive | |||
| Life form? | A perennial sedge (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). Life form– other. | ML | M |
| Allelopathic properties? | None described in CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003. | L | M |
| Tolerates herb pressure? | No information regarding herbivory pressure. Score medium | M | L |
| Normal growth rate? | Insufficient information to determine this species rate of growth. Score medium. | M | L |
| Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc? | ‘Does not go dormant during winter, but slows its growth during cool periods’ (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). Has been found in Katoomba in the blue mountains. Likes damp areas and grows in monsoonal climates. Tolerates waterlogging. Not enough information to determine whether this species is susceptible to drought. | M | M |
| Reproduction | |||
| Reproductive system | Reproduction ‘via rhizome, stolons and seed’ (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). Both vegetative and sexual reproduction. | H | M |
| Number of propagules produced? | ‘The main flowering spike is .. made up of many tiny spikelets ..the fruit contains one seed’ (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). By counting the spikelets on the photo from the NCW Beadle Herbarium photograph, it would appear that one spike contains approximately 100 spikelets. | ML | M |
| Propagule longevity? | ‘Not much is known about the life cycle of C. teneristolon in Australia’ (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). Not enough definitive information. Score as medium. | M | M |
| Reproductive period? | A perennial sedge (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003), therefore likely to live greater than 3 years. No definitive information to establish whether it would produce propagules for 10 years or more. Therefore medium high. | MH | M |
| Time to reproductive maturity? | ‘Not much is known about the life cycle of C. teneristolon in Australia’ (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). Not enough definitive information. Score as medium. | M | M |
| Dispersal | |||
| Number of mechanisms? | Stolons and rhizomes break off and propagate downstream (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). Propagules spread by water. | MH | M |
| How far do they disperse? | ‘ .. in Australia .. has spread 2 km from its source since approximately 1999’ (CRC for Australian Weed Management 2003). Few propagules will spread greater than 1 km but many will reach 200-1,000 m. | MH | M |
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