Plant · GBIF taxon 5828201
Kikuyu Grass
Cenchrus clandestinusKikuyu grass forms incredibly dense, springy mats across open soils through an aggressive network of creeping stolons and deep rhizomes. Unlike most grasses that thrust tall floral spikes into the air, its reproductive culms stay hidden deep within the leaf sheaths, revealing themselves only when delicate, silvery-white stamens emerge at dawn. Widely cultivated as durable pasture and hardy turf, it easily escapes cultivation to overrun native grasslands and suppress competing flora.
InvasiveGroundcoverPerennial
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Autotrophic (photosynthetic)
Predators
- Domestic cattle
- African armyworm
- Pasture webworm
ThreatsSevere frost, targeted selective herbicides, and excessive soil waterlogging
HabitatsPastures, roadsides, disturbed soils, coastal dunes, and maintained turf
Life spanPerennial
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderPoales
- FamilyPoaceae
- GenusCenchrus
- SpeciesCenchrus clandestinus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Floral inspection: Part the leaves in early morning to glimpse the thread-like, translucent stamens protruding from sheaths.
- Containment: Install subterranean borders at least 20 cm deep to prevent aggressive stolons from invading garden beds.
Same Genus no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子 · cc0
Same Genus no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子 · cc0
Competitor (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Image unavailableFrequent Companion
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