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Stenotaphrum secundatum

Buffalo Grass

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Buffalo Grass, St. Augustine Grass, Buffalograss

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical America - Africa

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, lowlands, coastal

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Weed - moderate (gardens only)

KEY FEATURES: Creeping grass to 40cm. LEAVES stiff straplike, to 30x1cm, tip round w/wo split. FLOWERS on stiff blade ~3mm wide.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Stenotaphrum micranthum has leaf tips sharp (vs round); spike slender to 1.5mm wide (vs broad 2-3mm); spikelets to 2.5mm (vs 3-5mm).

Enlarged Image of 'Stenotaphrum secundatum'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++	-					-		-

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter)
SYNONYMS: Ischaemum secundatum; Stenotaphrum americanum [sensu TC]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); COMMELINIDAE; Cyperales; POACEAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: Creeping perennial to 40cm high. LEAVES straplike, firm, to 30x1cm; tip rounded, w/wo split. FLOWERS on one face of a flat stout spike to 10cmx3mm; spikelets solitary or paired, rarely three, 3-5mm long. Cv. 'Variegatum' striped with white.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.1598 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.72 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.1074 Hortus 3rd
p.1119 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.1/352 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.303 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.21 R Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.416 Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zB02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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