Microstegium vimineum
Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) is an annual grass native to eastern and central Asia. First discovered in Tennessee in 1919, stiltgrass may have accidentally escaped as a result of its use as packing material for Chinese porcelain. This invasive grass grows in moist, disturbed areas including stream banks, river bluffs, floodplains, forest wetlands, moist woodlands, old fields, uplands, thickets, roadside ditches, and utility rights-of-way.
Growing to about 3.5 feet tall, it has alternate, thin, pale-green, lance-shaped, 3-inch long leaves. It has a distinct silvery stripe of reflective hairs running down the center of the upper leaf surface. Flower spikes form at the slender stem tips in late August through early October.
Japanese stiltgrass occurs in a wide variety of habitats, tolerates shade, and seems to prefer acidic to neutral soils that are high in nitrogen.
Hand-pulling Japanese stiltgrass can damage native plants and disturb the soil, which provides opportunities for other invasive plants. To cause less damage to native broadleaf plants, use grass-selective herbicides with active ingredients fluazifop-p-butyl (such as Fusilade) or sethoxydim (such as Poast) in July and August before seed is produced. Annual herbicide applications will be necessary to control plants that germinate from seed that remains in the soil from past years. If treating the plants near water, use water-safe glyphosate.
See this MDC Japanese Stiltgrass page for more details.
Resources:
- Learn about Japanese Stiltgrass at Invasive.org
- Read more from the Missouri Department of Conservation about identification, threats, and control practices of Japanese stiltgrass
- Read about a Japanese stiltgrass management success story at Pump Hollow Natural Area in the Poplar Bluff District of Mark Twain National Forest
Representative photos of Japanese stiltgrass:
Japanese stiltgrass impact, abundance, and trend in Missouri
