Eragrostis echinochloidea
Synonyms: Eragrostis auriculata
Common names: African lovegrass, tick grass, Krummelgras
African lovegrass (Eragrostris echinochloidea) is a large perennial bunchgrass (family Poaceae) that is native to seasonally dry tropical areas of South Africa. It was introduced into Mexico and Arizona in the 1940’s, where it has been slowly expanding, most recently into California (San Diego County). It grows to over 1m height, has a fibrous root system and long, often rigid, bright green to blue-green leaf blades. Leaves are finely-haired or hairless, tough, and have prominent parallel veins. Inflorescences are narrow panicles up to 30 cm long and spikelets that are bilaterally appressed, consisting of several florets each. Plants are prolific seed producers, produce flammable biomass, and regrow quickly after fire, creating a risk of their expansion into other dry, fire-prone environments.
Cal-IPC Rating: Watch
CDFA Rating: None?
Assessment(s)
Eragrostis echinochloidea Plant Risk Assessment - An evaluation of the potential for a plant to be invasive in California.
Weed Management Notes
No Weed RIC Management Notes are available for this species. Check for information on other species in the genus on the Weed RIC site.Cal-IPC Newsletter Articles
There are no newsletter articles associated with this species yet.
Cal-IPC Symposium Presentations
Presentations are linked where available. Where a presentation is not available, find more information by reading the abstract in the Cal-IPC Symposia Archive.
- Weed alerts and other invasive plant highlights for 2020. Burger, Jutta; Price, Robert (2020)
Other Eragrostis echinochloidea Information
- CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
- Calflora - Distribution map and records of this species in California.
- EDDMapS - Distribution of this species in North America.
- GBIF - Global distribution information.
- USDA PLANTS Database - Information on identification and distribution, with links to websites in individual states.
- The Plant List - Global taxonomic resource and collaborative clearinghouse from Kew Gardens, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Missouri Botanic Garden and others.