Native Plant Alternatives to Imperata cylindrica (Congo Grass)

Imperata cylindrica, commonly known as cogon grass or Japanese blood grass, is considered invasive in many regions of the world, including the southern United States, parts of the Caribbean, and Pacific islands.

Cogongrass is a fast-growing, perennial grass native to Southeast Asia that can rapidly dominate disturbed areas, such as roadsides, pastures, and forest clear-cuts. Its dense mats of vegetation outcompete native plants for resources, disrupting local ecosystems. The plant’s sharp leaves can also injure animals, and its high silica content makes it unpalatable to most grazing animals, further reducing its value to local ecosystems.

The plant’s aggressive nature is due to a combination of its fast growth rate, its ability to spread both through seeds and rhizomes (underground stems), and its high tolerance to different environmental conditions, including poor soils and fires.

Congo Grass is listed in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.

According to the U.S Forest Service, Invasive species have contributed to the decline of 42% of U.S. endangered and threatened species and 18% of U.S. endangered or threatened species. Invasive species compete directly with native species for moisture, sunlight, nutrients, and space. They displace and alter native plant communities, degrade wildlife habitat and water quality, and potentially lead to increased soil erosion.

The federal government has estimated that nearly 25 percent of the 20,000 plant species native to North America are at risk of extinction, many of these through habitat loss. You can help reverse this trend by planting great native plants in your garden.

A plant is considered native if it occurs naturally in a particular region or ecosystem without human introduction. There are many benefits to growing native plants. First, these plants are better adapted to soils, moisture, and weather than exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world. They need fewer fertilizers and pesticides or use less water. Second, they are unlikely to escape and become invasive, destroying natural habitats. Third, they support wildlife, providing shelter and food for native birds and insects, while exotic plants do not.