Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. undulatifolius

Wavyleaf basketgrass
Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. undulatifolius (Wavyleaf basketgrass) (26 Sep 1997)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Tribe:	Paniceae
Genus:	Oplismenus
Species:	O. hirtellus
Subspecies:	O. h. subsp. undulatifolius
Binomial name
Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. undulatifolius (Ard.) U. Scholz

Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. undulatifolius (Wavyleaf basketgrass) (11 Apr 1998)

Oplismenus hirtellus (L.) P. Beauv. subsp. undulatifolius (Ard.) U. Scholz (Wavyleaf basketgrass) is a foreign grass that has been accidentally introduced into Maryland and Virginia, USA and appears to have the potential of becoming extremely invasive.   This grass, native to southern Europe and southeastern Asia (Peterson et al. 1999) has been found growing at two areas in Maryland and two in Virginia.

One of the Maryland areas is around Liberty Reservoir and the northern section of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Carroll and Howard Counties.   The other area is in Prince Georges County at the Little Paint Branch Park [1], the adjacent Beltsville Agricultural Research Center-East and the National Greenbelt Park.   Volunteers have been diligently working to destroy the Prince Georges County population, while the eradication of the Liberty Reservoir-Patapsco Valley population is still in the planning stage (January 2008).

In Virginia, the Wavyleaf basketgrass has been found growing in a 80-acre (320,000 m²) site in the Shenandoah National Park, and in a 20-30 acre site at the Fraser Preserve along the Potomac River in Fairfax County. [2]

Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. undulatifolius is a shallow rooted perennial with stolons that may grow to several feet in length.   In Maryland, the leaves of overwintering plants become brown and dead, but in the Spring, new growth begins at the upper nodes of the stolons.   In early Fall, the sticky awns readily adhere to anything that brushes against them which makes for an effective mode of dispersial.

References

• Peterson, P.M., E.E. Terrell, E.C. Uebel, C.A. Davis, H. Scholz, and R.J. Soreng. 1999. (Scientific Note) Oplismenus hirtellus subspecies undulatifolius, A new record for North America. Castanea 64:201-202.

• Scholz, U. 1981. Monographie der Gattung Oplismenus (Gramineae). Phanerogamarum Monographiae 13:1-213.

External links

• Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland. Invader of the month (August 6, 2007); Wavyleaf basketgrass, (Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius).[3]

• Wavyleaf Basketgrass, Wildlife and Heritage Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources. [4]

• Wavy-leaf Basket grass Eradication at BARC. [5]

• Virginia Forests: Wavyleaf Basket Grass, an Invasive Exotic, Found in Virginia. [6]

• Maryland Chapter of Sierra Club: Wave Goodbye to Wavy Leaf Basketgrass. [7]

• Chesapeake Bay Journal: Wave bye-bye to wavyleaf basketgrass by Karl Blankenship. [8]

• Maryland has become ground zero for a new invasive species threat, wavyleaf basketgrass, by Jill Rosen. [9]

• Vanessa Beauchamp, video on Wavyleaf Basketgrass (22 Oct. 2011) [10]

• Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and surrounding areas by Alan S. Weakley (Page 897). [11]

• Wavyleaf Basketgrass Task Force Listserv [12]