Urochloa mutica

Common Name: para grass

Family: Poaceae

Common Synonyms: Brachiaria mutica, Brachiaria purpurescens, Panicum muticum, Panicum purpurescens

USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a-11

Growth Habit: Graminoid

Origin: Africa

FISC Category: 1

FDACS Listed Noxious Weed: No

Introduction Date: Early 1900s

IFAS Assessment:

• North: INVASIVE
• Central: INVASIVE
• South: INVASIVE

Description

Para grass is perennial, can grow up to 2-3m high, and is stoloniferous. The stem has hairy nodes and sheaths. The leaf blades are 10-30 cm long and about 1 cm wide. The panicle is up to 30 cm long, with numerous spreading branches. Spikelets are about 3 cm long and have a purplish rachis.

Habitat

Prefers wet conditions, central and southern peninsula

Comments

Escaped from cultivation in central and south Florida. Tolerant of drought and brackish water, but susceptible to frost. Spreads vegetatively.

Control Methods

• Manual: Small infestations can be removed with repeated, aggressive tillage. Burning can be very useful in removing excess biomass, allowing for more effective chemical control. (IFAS).
• Chemical: Herbicides successful in controlling spread of paragrass in infested areas include glyphosate and imazapyr (Chaudhari et al. 2012). For broadcast applications to larger areas, Glyphosate 41.0% L at 2 to 4 lbs-ai/acre can be used. Imazapyr can also be very effective at 0.5 to 1 lbs-ai/acre, but adhere strictly to irrigation restricts on the label (Habitat) if applied near water. Imazapyr can also cause non-target damage due to soil residual properties. Always use a good surfactant at 0.25% with imazapyr and with certain Glyphosate 41.0% L formulations. (IFAS).
• Biological: Biological control of paragrass is limited at this time. The sterile, triploid grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) has had some success for the biological control of various invasive aquatic weeds (submersed plants and small floating plants) and filamentous algae. The grass carp will eat paragrass, but research has shown the fish only partially controls the invasive grass (Thayer et al. 2003).

Control Notes

NA

References

IFAS. 2011. Integrated Management of Nonnative Plants in Natural Areas of Florida. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/WG/WG20900.pdf Accessed June 13 2017.

Langeland, K.A., H.M. Cherry, C.M. McCormick, K.C. Burks. 2008. Identification and Biology of Non-Native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas-Second Edition. IFAS Publication SP 257. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

IFAS. 2017. Para grass, Urochloa mutica. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/urochloa-mutica/. Accessed June 13, 2017.

Wunderlin, Richard P., and Bruce F. Hansen. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida. 3rd ed. Gainesville, FL: U of Florida, 2011.