Poaceae (Gramineae), the Grass Family
This perennial grass grows by stolons that spread quickly over the soil or become buried shallowly in the soil. Overlapping scales or old leaf sheaths cover the stolons. Leafy, sterile, short shoots may grow from the stolons as well as fertile stems about 6 to 10 inches tall with leaf sheaths that can have pale stripes of green and white or darker and lighter green or with hints of purple. The leaf blades are 3/4 to 3 1/4 inches long, up to 1/4 inch wide, with scabrous margins (rough edges). The inflorescence is a panicle, 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 inches long, with a red-purple color. The branches of the panicle are whorled and held stiffly upward. The spikelet clusters are 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, and break from the pedicel (flower stalk) along a diagonal ridge covered with golden brown hairs that becomes a sharp, bearded barb up to 1/4 inch long. The seed or grain is about 1/8 inch long. The barb remains attached to the seed to aid in its spread in fur or on clothing.
The grass is usually found in sunny, dry, exposed areas such as roadsides, lawns and pastures. It is native to tropical India and China, and perhaps parts of the Pacific region, but has been widely introduced in other tropical areas of Asia, Australia and the Pacific.
Golden false beardgrass was detected in Miami-Dade County, by staff of the Institute for Regional Conservation. Surveys of the nearby area have found no spread beyond the initial location in the Homestead Air Reserve Base, Homestead, Florida.
This grass might be similar to a number of other grasses, depending on the life stage and frequency of mowing where it is found. In flower, this species could appear to be a miniature Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense), but if the area has been recently mowed, the grass might resemble St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum). One species in this genus, Chrysopogon pauciflorus, is native to Florida, but can be distinguished by its open panicle inflorescence and flowers with very long awns.
Golden false beardgrass reproduces by seeds, dispersed by wind and by attaching to animals, including humans and their clothing. It also forms dense mats of spreading stolons, which may be transported by lawn maintenance equipment.
This plant has not previously been reported to be established in the continental United States, although it is found in Hawaii. It is a serious agricultural and environmental weed, particularly in the Old World tropics, and is included on the Noxious Weed Lists of the USDA and several states, including Florida.