Ehrharta erecta (erect veldtgrass)

Ehrharta erecta

Photo courtesy Joseph DiTomaso

Ehrharta erecta (erect veldtgrass) is a perennial grass (family Poaceae) found along California’s coastline and in the southern Sacramento Valley. Erect veldtgrass is commonly found in disturbed areas, including riparian areas, scrub, grassland, woodland, urban areas and turf. This native to South Africa was cultivated in Berkeley and Davis in the mid-1900s as an experimental grass. It spreads rapidly and is known to out-compete native grasses and herbs. Erect veldtgrass causes more litter accumulation than native grasses and herbs do, which further inhibits native plant growth.

Cal-IPC Inventory rating: Moderate

Cal-IPC Resources on Ehrharta erecta

• California Invasive Plant Inventory Assessment Form (pdf) - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.
• Species account from Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands - Includes biology and management information.
• Cal-IPC News - Articles from our quarterly newsletter. Each issue is available as a pdf. List of articles on Ehrharta erecta.
• Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings - Presentations and papers from our annual Symposium. List of articles on Ehrharta erecta.

Cal-IPC News Articles

• Brey, C. (1996). What? Another Ehrharta? Oh, no! CalEPPC News. 4: 4-5.
• Sigg, J. (1996). Ehrharta erecta: Sneak attack in the making? CalEPPC News. 4: 8-9.

Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings

• Clines, J., J. DiTomaso, et al. (2004). Grasses working group. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2004. Ventura, CA.
• Gluesenkamp, D. (2003). Marin-Sonoma Weed Management Area: Putting the ‘we’ in weed management. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2003. Kings Beach, CA.
• Sanders, A. C. (1998). Invasive exotics in California: A perspective from inland Southern California. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium '98. Ontario, CA.

Other Resources on Ehrharta erecta

• USDA PLANTS database - Federal database with information on identification and distribution, and links to websites in individual states.
• Jepson Online Interchange for California Flora - Information on taxonomy, biology, and distribution from the UC Berkeley Jepson Herbarium.
• CalFlora - Distribution information by county based on submitted observations and herbarium specimens.
• The Nature Conservancy Management Summary - Information compiled by TNC land managers. Photos included for some species.
• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
• Natural Resource Projects Inventory - State database with information on resource management projects throughout California. Query by the species of interest.

Printer-friendly version