''Oplismenus undulatifolius'', commonly known as wavyleaf basketgrass, is a species of perennial grass from the family

Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

that is native to Eurasia, specifically Southern Europe through

Southern Asia Southern Asia may refer to: * South Asia, a geopolitical macroregion of SAARC countries * Southern Asia, a geographical subregion in Asia spanning the Iranian Plateau and the Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the phy ...

. Due to its

invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

nature, it can be found in countries such as Pakistan ( Punjab &

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

), China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, South Africa, and has since been introduced to the Mid-Atlantic United States. There are no recognized subspecies in Catalogue of Life.

Description

''Oplismenus undulatifolius'' is a shallow rooted perennial with

stolons In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...

that may grow to several feet in length. The leaves of overwintering plants become brown and dead, but in the spring, new growth begins at the upper

nodes In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a Vertex (graph theory), vertex). Node may refer to: In mathematics *Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph *Vertex (geometry), a point where two ...

of the

. In early fall, the sticky awns readily adhere to anything that brushes against them which makes for an effective mode of dispersal. The species is long with leaf-blades being slightly lanceolate, ovate, and are long and wide. Its inflorescence is long and is made out of 5-11 cuneate fascicles which are in length and carry 2-6 spikelets. Spikelets are lanceolate just like leaf-blades, and are in length. They are also glabrous and pubescent and have glumes which have smooth viscid awns which are long. The awns of lower glumes are purple, are in length and are 3-5 veined. The lower

lemma Lemma may refer to: Language and linguistics * Lemma (morphology), the canonical, dictionary or citation form of a word * Lemma (psycholinguistics), a mental abstraction of a word about to be uttered Science and mathematics * Lemma (botany), a ...

is herbaceous and have 5-9 veins while the upper one is 5 veined with an awn that is . The species apex have a stout that is long. Flowers and fruits grow from July to November. This species grows particularly well in moist, shaded environments, in a variety of soil types. In Australia it grows in shady coastal forests at

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...

Ecology

In its native range, ''Oplismenus undulatifolius'' is a food source for many species of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

, including ''

Elachista kurokoi ''Elachista kurokoi'' is a moth in the family Elachistidae. It was described by Parenti in 1983. It is found in Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the nort ...

'', ''

Helcystogramma fuscomarginatum ''Helcystogramma fuscomarginatum'' is a moth in the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Ueda in 1995. It is known from Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated i ...

'', ''

Mycalesis francisca ''Mycalesis francisca'' is an East Palearctic species of satyrine butterfly found in China, Japan, Assam, Burma and Indochina The larva feeds on ''Imperata cylindrica'', ''Miscanthus sinensis'', ''Setaria palmifolia'' and ''Oplismenus undulatif ...

'', ''

Mycalesis sangaica ''Mycalesis'', the bushbrowns, are a genus of brush-footed butterflies. They are common in the warm regions from Central Asia to Australia, and have a high diversity in South Asia and the Wallacea. They are notably polymorphic, with wet- and d ...

'', ''

Mycalesis zonata ''Mycalesis'', the bushbrowns, are a genus of brush-footed butterflies. They are common in the warm regions from Central Asia to Australia, and have a high diversity in South Asia and the Wallacea. They are notably polymorphic, with wet- and d ...

,'' ''

Palaeonympha opalina ''Palaeonympha'' is a monotypic butterfly genus of the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. Its one species, ''Palaeonympha opalina'', is found in Taiwan

'', '' Stigmella oplismeniella'', '' Ypthima akragas,'' '' Ypthima baldus'', and ''

Ypthima esakii ''Ypthima'' is a species rich genus of Old World butterflies in the family Nymphalidae.

As an invasive species

Accidentally introduced into the United States in Maryland and Virginia, this species spreads quickly and is becoming extremely invasive in forested natural areas in the Mid-Atlantic region across numerous counties in Maryland and Virginia. The species was first reported in Maryland in 1996, growing around the

Liberty Reservoir Liberty Reservoir is a reservoir west of Baltimore, Maryland; about a mile north of Patapsco Valley State Park's McKeldin area. It is owned by the City of Baltimore Department of Public Works, but is located outside the city, and it divides Baltim ...

area and the northern section of the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...

in Howard County. The grass spread quickly into connected natural areas in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

and Carroll counties. By 1999 it was identified in

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Mon ...

at Wheaton Regional Park. In 2006 it was identified in Prince George's County at Little Paint Branch Par

the adjacent Beltsville Agricultural Research Center-East and the National Greenbelt Park. It had crossed into Virginia by 2004 where it was found growing at an site in Shenandoah National Park, and in a site at the Fraser Preserve along the Potomac River in Fairfax County. Once a population has become established, complete eradication from a site has proven to be extremely difficult due to a long-lived perennial life cycle, a long seed germination season (April–November), and considerable seed mobility of the species.

Gallery

Image:Oplismenus undulatifolius MS3489.JPG, ''Oplismenus undulatifolius'' growing under bamboo in Damyang, Korea. Image:Wavyleaf Basketgrass Infestation.jpg, Wavyleaf basketgrass infestation. Habitat: closed-canopy mesic forest in Maryland, United States. Image:Wavyleaf Basketgrass Infestation in Winter.jpg, Leaves of the perennial wavyleaf basketgrass die off each winter (mid-December shown). Plants will survive cold winters and leaves will re-emerge each spring. Photo shows winter appearance of non-native infestation in Maryland, United States. Image:Oplismenus undulatifolius-1.jpg, Invasive wavyleaf basketgrasss collected from

in Maryland in 1997. Image:Oplismenus undulatifolius Awns.jpg, ''Oplismenus undulatifolius'' with reddish purple awns and white flowers in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

, Japan.

References

External links

''Oplismenus undulatifolius''
on YouTube * Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland. Invader of the month (August 6, 2007); Wavyleaf basketgrass, (''Oplismenus hirtellus'' ssp. ''undulatifolius''

* Wavyleaf Basketgrass, Wildlife and Heritage Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources

* Wavy-leaf Basket grass Eradication at BARC

* Virginia Forests: Wavyleaf Basket Grass, an Invasive Exotic, Found in Virginia

* Maryland Chapter of Sierra Club: ''Wave Goodbye to Wavy Leaf Basketgrass''

* Chesapeake Bay Journal: ''Wave bye-bye to wavyleaf basketgrass'' by Karl Blankenship

* Maryland has become ground zero for a new invasive species threat, wavyleaf basketgrass, by Jill Rosen

* Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and surrounding areas by Alan S. Weakley (Page 897)

''Oplismenus undulatifolius'' in the Guide to Invasive and Hegemonic Grasses
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13936842 Oplismenus, undulatifolius Flora of Asia Flora of China Flora of Japan Flora of Korea