Species

Setaria palmifolia

Common Name(s)

palm grass

Authority

Setaria palmifolia (J. König) Stapf

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

SETPAL

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Grasses

Habitat

Terrestrial. Disturbed and open forest, shrubland, herbfield, bare land,

Features

Dense, palm-like grass. Root mass dense with tough rhizomes. Stems rounded. Leaves 30-100 x 5-8 cm, pleated (palm frond-like), tapering to a point, harsh, hanging. Seedheads long, narrow, loose spikes, 20-30 cm long, with fuzzy foxtail-like tips; on long arching stems, Dec-Mar.

Similar Taxa

This is the only grass with palm-like (plicate) leaves.

Flowering

December, January, February, March

Year Naturalised

1981

Origin

India

Reason For Introduction
Ornamental

Life Cycle Comments
Perennial.

Reproduction
Rhizomes and root masses re-sprout. Can also spread via seed.

Dispersal
Dumped garden waste, soil and water movement.

This page last updated on 28 May 2010