African lovegrass
Eragrostis curvula
family
Poaceae
origin
Exotic
declaration
NIL
For information only
Common names
Boer love grass, Weeping grass, Wire grass.
A relatively large and tufted long-lived grass with stems growing 30-120 cm tall. Its stems and leaves are mostly upright, but are sometimes arched or slightly weeping in nature. Its leaf blades are linear and often have in-rolled margins. Its seed-head is a much-branched open panicle with a large number of greyish-green or purplish coloured flower spikelets. These flower spikelets are flattened, elongated in shape, and contain 4-13 tiny flowers.
Impact
Impact
African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) has already invaded large parts of Australia and is a major environmental weed in this country. It is currently regarded as a significant environmental weed Victoria, the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, and is also seen as an emerging environmental weed or "sleeper weed" in Tasmania and South Australia. During a recent survey it was listed as a priority environmental weed in ten Natural Resource Management regions, placing it as one of the most widespread species of concern.African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is an early coloniser of disturbed sites, and is typically found in sandy or gravely soils, on roadsides, along watercourses and in pastures. It can survive long dry periods, and recovers quickly after disturbance events (e.g. fires). African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) grows rapidly and can form dense swards which crowd out more desirable species in pastures and natural vegetation. As well as replacing native species, it can create additional environmental impacts, such as preventing their regeneration and increasing the intensities of bushfires through higher fuel loads.This invasive species is common along roadsides and in disturbed sites in south-western Western Australia and is invading adjacent bushland from Carnarvon to the Nullarbor Plain. It is also an important weed of wetland areas in the southern parts of Western Australia and threatens the survival of some native plant species. For example, the endangered narrow-petalled featherflower (Verticordia plumosa var. pleiobotrya) is limited to a few natural populations in south-western Western Australia. Weed invasion is a major threat to all of these populations, and African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is one of the most prominent of these weed species. It directly affects this threatened species through suppression of early plant growth, and also increases the fire hazard due to the high fuel loads it produces.It also grows in similar habitats in New South Wales (i.e. on roadsides, along watercourses and in pastures) and is a particularly serious weed of remnant native grassy vegetation in farming areas in this state. African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) can transform these threatened communities by modifying their composition, structure and processes. For example, it is seen as a threat to Bega dry grass forests in the South East Corner bioregion of New South Wales and is a similar threat to natural temperate grasslands throughout the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is also one of the group of exotic perennial grasses that have been listed as being a "key threatening process" in New South Wales. It is also a threat to individual species in this state. For example, it is one of the weeds directly impacting on locally threatened populations of the pine donkey orchid (Diuris tricolor) in the Muswellbrook area.In Victoria, African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is common from the East Gippsland region to the Mallee region, where it has invaded heathlands, woodlands and grasslands. In south-eastern Queensland it is becoming increasingly common, and it was recently ranked among the top 50 most invasive plant species in this region. It is often associated with sandy and saline soils in South Australia, where it is regarded as an aggressive invader that is continuing to spread, and it is particularly common in coastal habitats in the Gulf St. Vincent region near Adelaide. For more information from the Queensland Government
Location
Location
Characteristics
Characteristics
Similar Species
Similar Species
African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) has already invaded large parts of Australia and is a major environmental weed in this country. It is currently regarded as a significant environmental weed Victoria, the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, and is also seen as an emerging environmental weed or "sleeper weed" in Tasmania and South Australia. During a recent survey it was listed as a priority environmental weed in ten Natural Resource Management regions, placing it as one of the most widespread species of concern.African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is an early coloniser of disturbed sites, and is typically found in sandy or gravely soils, on roadsides, along watercourses and in pastures. It can survive long dry periods, and recovers quickly after disturbance events (e.g. fires). African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) grows rapidly and can form dense swards which crowd out more desirable species in pastures and natural vegetation. As well as replacing native species, it can create additional environmental impacts, such as preventing their regeneration and increasing the intensities of bushfires through higher fuel loads.This invasive species is common along roadsides and in disturbed sites in south-western Western Australia and is invading adjacent bushland from Carnarvon to the Nullarbor Plain. It is also an important weed of wetland areas in the southern parts of Western Australia and threatens the survival of some native plant species. For example, the endangered narrow-petalled featherflower (Verticordia plumosa var. pleiobotrya) is limited to a few natural populations in south-western Western Australia. Weed invasion is a major threat to all of these populations, and African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is one of the most prominent of these weed species. It directly affects this threatened species through suppression of early plant growth, and also increases the fire hazard due to the high fuel loads it produces.It also grows in similar habitats in New South Wales (i.e. on roadsides, along watercourses and in pastures) and is a particularly serious weed of remnant native grassy vegetation in farming areas in this state. African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) can transform these threatened communities by modifying their composition, structure and processes. For example, it is seen as a threat to Bega dry grass forests in the South East Corner bioregion of New South Wales and is a similar threat to natural temperate grasslands throughout the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is also one of the group of exotic perennial grasses that have been listed as being a "key threatening process" in New South Wales. It is also a threat to individual species in this state. For example, it is one of the weeds directly impacting on locally threatened populations of the pine donkey orchid (Diuris tricolor) in the Muswellbrook area.In Victoria, African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is common from the East Gippsland region to the Mallee region, where it has invaded heathlands, woodlands and grasslands. In south-eastern Queensland it is becoming increasingly common, and it was recently ranked among the top 50 most invasive plant species in this region. It is often associated with sandy and saline soils in South Australia, where it is regarded as an aggressive invader that is continuing to spread, and it is particularly common in coastal habitats in the Gulf St. Vincent region near Adelaide. For more information from the Queensland Government
