THREAT ABATEMENT ADVICE FOR A KEY THREATENING PROCESS
This material has been developed based on the best available information at the time of development (September 2014).
To provide information updates please email: weeds@environment.gov.au
Perennial mission grass (Cenchrus polystachios syn. Pennisetum polystachion)
Perennial mission grass was introduced into Australia in the 1940s and 1950s for testing as a pasture grass. It was well established as a weed in the Darwin area by 1970. Since then it has spread to Katherine, Arnhem Land, the Daly River and the Tiwi Islands. Perennial mission grass is also widely naturalised Queensland, although it has not established in Western Australia.
Perennial mission grass under state and territory legislation
Perennial mission grass is a declared weed in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Under the Northern Territory’s Weeds Management Act 2001 it is declared a Class B/C weed (landholders must control its growth and prevent spread – further introductions of the species into the Northern Territory are prohibited).
Under Western Australia’s Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 it is prohibited under section 12. It has been placed in the C1 control category (exclusion – not established in Western Australia and control measures are to be taken, including border checks, to prevent them entering and establishing in the state).
Priority actions/research
- Increase public/stakeholder awareness of the risks posed by perennial mission grass and the need for management in key areas (perennial mission grass is not particularly valuable as a pasture species and there is some community awareness/concern about its impacts).
- Collect any new information generated by research/ongoing management and incorporate it into weed risk management systems.
Resources
| Title or description | Author | Date | Details |
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Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities |
2012 |
Priority actions to manage the five species of invasive grasses |
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Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities |
2012 |
Information on each of the five species of invasive grasses |
| Title or description | Author | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
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Brooks KJ, Setterfield SA and Douglas MM |
2010 |
Restoration Ecology, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 188–197 |
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Cook GD and Dias L |
2006 |
Turner Review no. 12, Australian Journal of Botany, vol. 54, pp. 601–625 |
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Douglas MM, Setterfield SA, Rossiter N, Barratt J and Hutley LB |
2004 |
Sindel BM and Johnson SB (eds), Proceedings of the 14th Australian Weeds Conference, Wagga Wagga, NSW, pp. 179–181 |
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The extent of mission grasses and gamba grass in the Darwin region of Australia’s Northern Territory |
Kean L and Price O |
2003 |
Pacific Conservation Biology, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 281–290 |
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Low T |
1997 |
Tropical Grasslands, vol. 31, pp. 337–343 |
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Management of mission grass (Pennisetum polystachion) |
Miller I |
2006 |
Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines, Northern Territory Government, Darwin |
| Title or description | Author | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
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Further information about the biology, distribution and impacts of perennial mission grass |
Australian Government Department of the Environment |
2013 |
Weeds in Australia website |
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Mission and gamba grass |
Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service |
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Managing weeds for wildlife conservation |
Northern Land Manager |
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Plantwise |
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Plantwise Knowledge Bank |
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Australian Weeds Committee |
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Weeds Australia |
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Northern Territory Government Department of Land Resource Management |
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Northern Territory Government Department of Land Resource Management |
2013 |
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