Japanese stiltgrass
(Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus)

Overview

Appearance

Microstegium vimineum is a delicate, sprawling, annual grass that is 0.5-3.5 ft. (0.2-1.1 m) in height. The stems can root at the nodes.

Foliage

The leaves are pale-green, alternate, lance-shaped, 1-3 in. (2.5-7.6 cm) long, asymmetrical with a shiny, off-center midrib. Upper and lower leaf surface is slightly pubescent. A silvery line runs down the center of the blade. Stems usually droop.

Flowers

Flowering begins in September, when delicate flower stalks develop in the axils of the leaves or at the top of the stems.

Fruit

Fruit is produced from late September through early October.

Ecological Threat

Most commonly a invader of forested floodplains, Microstegium vimineum is also found in ditches, forest edges, fields, and trails. It is very shade tolerant and can completely displace native vegetation. It is native to Asia and was accidentally introduced into North America sometime around 1920. It has previously been used as packing material for porcelain, possibly explaining its accidental introduction.

Resources

• A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service
• Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual - SE-EPPC
• Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
• Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
• Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
• Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• Alabama Invasive Plant Council
• Alabama Noxious Weeds - Class C Noxious Weed
• City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 1994.
• Connecticut Invasive Plant List
• Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
• Connecticut Noxious Weeds
• Delaware Invasive Species Council Invasive Species List
• Florida Invasive Plant Council - Plant List - Category I
• Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council - Category 1
• Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
• Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
• Indiana Terrestrial Plant Rule
• Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
• Invasive Species of Concern in Georgia
• Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
• John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
• Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Severe Threat
• Maine Invasive Plants
• Maryland Cooperative Extension Service.  2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources Policy: Restriction on Planting Exotic Invasive Plants
• Maryland Invasive Species Council - Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
• Massachusetts Invasive Plants Advisory Group List
• Massachusetts Noxious Weeds
• Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List
• Michigan’s Invasive Species Watch List
• Mid-Atlantic Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species
• Missouri SRISP Species List
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• New Hampshire Prohibited Invasive Species
• New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
• New York Regulated and Prohibited Invasive Species - Prohibited
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of the City of Alexandria, Virginia
• Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
• Ohio Invasive Species Council
• Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program Tracked Species List
• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
• Pennsylvania's Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species
• Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas
• Rhode Island Natural History Survey
• South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council
• Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council
• Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
• Virginia Invasive Species Management Plan 2012
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
• West Virginia Department of Agriculture Regulations Governing the Distribution of Plant Materials
• West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014
• West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999
• West Virginia Noxious Weeds
• Wisconsin Noxious Weeds
• Wisconsin's Invasive species rule – NR 40

References