Pennisetum clandestinum (Kikuyugrass)

Pennisetum clandestinum

Photo courtesy Joseph DiTomaso

Pennisetum clandestinum (kikuyugrass) is a perennial grass (family Poaceae) found along the coast of California, on Santa Cruz Island, and in the San Francisco Bay region. It prefers disturbed areas, such as roadsides, urban areas, cropland, turf, forested sites and wetland areas. Kikuyugrass reproduces from seed and vegetatively, using its extensive system of creeping stolons and rhizomes. Kikuyugrass populations can be controlled by hand removal if detected early. Agricultural and landscape maintenance equipment should be cleaned after use in areas with kikuyugrass infestations in order to prevent the spread of rhizome and stolon fragments.

Cal-IPC Inventory rating: Limited

Cal-IPC Resources on Pennisetum clandestinum

• 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.
• Cal-IPC News - Articles from our quarterly newsletter. Each issue is available as a pdf. List of articles on Pennisetum clandestinum.
• Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings - Presentations and papers from our annual Symposium.List of articles on Pennisetum clandestinum.

Cal-IPC News Articles

• Albert, M. E. (1995). Portrait of an invader II: The ecology and management of Carpobrotus edulis. CalEPPC News. 3: 4-6.
• Sigg, J. (2003). Oxalis pes-caprae. CalEPPC News. 11: 8-9.

Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings

• Wong, F. P., K. A. d. l. Cerda, et al. (2007). Gray leaf spot of kikuyugrass: An invasive pest of an invasive pest. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2007. San Diego, CA, California Invasive Plant Council.
• Knapp, J. (2004). A gardener’s dream, a land manager’s nightmare: The spread of horticultural invasive plants into the wildlands of Santa Catalina Island. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2004. Ventura, CA.

Other Resources on Pennisetum clandestinum

• 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.

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