Origin:
Native to South America, and introduced to the United States for cultivation as a winter forage in the southern states. Strong growth in winter and early spring make it suitable for forage. It commonly escapes cultivated areas and becomes troublesome in crops or non-crop situations.
Biology:
An annual, or short-lived perennial. Seeds germinate in late fall and early winter, and plants mature from mid-spring into early summer. Even if grazed in the winter the plants continue to add foliage into the summer.
Identification:
Mature plants are erect, up to 3 feet tall, possibly with numerous stems arising from the same root stock. Leaf blades are up to ½ inch wide and up to 12 inches long, with a rough to sparsely hairy feel to them. The flower head is somewhat open, up to 8 inches long, and is composed of around 6 dense spikelets. These are strongly flattened and contain 6 to 12 flowers. The spikelets have either no awns or very short ones.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
A winter annual.
