NC INVASIVE PLANT COUNCIL
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CogonGrass

Imperata cylindrica 

Cogongrass was accidentally introduced in the 1900s in packing materials; it has spread throughout the southeast.  As of 2010, cogon grass infestations are not reported in North Carolina but it is in South Carolinian counties bordering the state and is very likely to find its way over the state line. The seeds of cogongrass are fluffy, reminiscent of dandelion seeds, and are easily dispersed through wind. It is much easier to control an invasive species if we can manage infestations when they are still small. Cogongrass is considered one of the world’s worst weeds. So, please watch out for cogongrass and report infestations to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Weed Specialist at 1-800-206-9333.

Cogongrass grows in dense bunches which can form monotypic mats that can be as high as 6’ tall. Cogongrass is easy to identify in the spring, when its characteristic cottony, cylindrical seed head (2 – 8” long) blooms. It leaves are also fairly easy to identify because the midrib of the leaf is white and off-center. Leaves can be up to 6’ long and are about 1” wide, and taper to sharp points. The leaf margins are finely toothed. Leaves can turn reddish in the fall.  Rhizomes form dense mats in the first foot of soil. The rhizomes have sharp tips.

Fact Sheet: Cogongrass
Identification, History, and Management - John Taggart - Cogongrass
Picture
Photo credit: James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
​Ery Evans
Picture
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  • Home
  • About
    • Donate
    • Invasives 101
    • Membership
    • Board of Directors >
      • NC-IPC ByLaws
    • Contact
    • Listserve
  • News
    • Iverson Scholarship
    • Wildland Weeds Magazine
    • Calendar >
      • 2018 Workshop
  • NC Invasive Plants
    • Ailanthus Altissima (Tree-of-Heaven)
    • Elaeagnus umbellata (Autumn Olive)
    • Ficaria verna (Fig Buttercup)
    • Imperata cylindrica (Cogongrass)
    • Ligustrum sinense (Chinese Privet)
    • Ligustrum vulgare (Wild Privet)
    • Lonicera japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle)
    • Microstegium vimineum (Japanese Stilt Grass)
    • Nandina domestica
    • Nymphoides indica (water snowflake)
    • Paulownia tomentosa (Princess Tree)
    • Persicaria perfoliata (Mile-A-Minute Vine)
    • Pueraria montana (Kudzu)
    • Pyrus calleryana (Bradford Pear)
  • Annual Symposiums
    • 2022 Joint Symposium >
      • 2022 Speaker Presentations
    • 2021 Virtual Conference
    • 2019 Joint Symposium >
      • 2019 Presentations
    • 2018 Annual Symposium
    • 2017 Annual Symposium
    • 2016 Annual Symposium >
      • 2016 agenda
    • 2015 Annual Symposium >
      • 2015 Presentations
      • 2015 Agenda
  • Projects
    • Fig Buttercup Project
    • Eno River Hydrilla Project
    • Awareness Week
  • Awards
    • 2015 Student Competition Winners
    • 2015 EIA Award
    • 2014 EIA Award