Vasey grass Paspalum urvillei is a highly invasive grass
which is a native of Argentina and Uruguay which is mostly found growing in
damp and disturbed localities in our area.
A monospecific stand of Paspalum urvillei
Paspalum urvillei is a large dominant grass which produces
vast amounts of viable seed that displaces other grasses to form large
monospecific stands largely by means of allelopathy and direct competition for
resources such as sunlight, water and nutrients.
This photo gives one an idea of the average size of Paspalum urvillei
Allelopathy refers to
the beneficial or harmful effects of one plant on another plant, due to the
release of biochemicals, known as allelochemicals, from plant parts by
leaching, root exudation, volatilization, residue decomposition, and other
processes.
This photo give a clearly shows that Paspalum urvillei
completely displaces all other species
What alarms me most about this invasive alien grass and why
I see it as a huge threat in areas that are being rehabilitated is that it spreads very rapidly and colonizing vast areas
and that there are no selective herbicides available that can be used to
selectively eradicate it as in the case of broad leafed and other non-grassy
weeds. The only options to remove this invasive grass are to dig it out or the
use of non-selective herbicides such as Glyphosate which would destroy all
other vegetation in the areas being dealt with therefore the sooner stands of
this invasive grass are located and are eradicated the better before their seed
bank increases and spreads.
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Michael Hickman
Landscape Design and Rehabilitation Specialist
www.ecoman.co.za
michael@ecoman.co.za
16.03.16
