Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth (East Asia) – An exceptional and ephemeral alien. A single individual was observed near at mill at the Ghent Grain Terminal in the Ghent port area in 2016. In identical circumstances it has also been recorded in France (Rivière & al. 1992). In the British Isles it is considered a dock alien (Ryves & al. 1996).
This species is an increasing weed problem worldwide, especially in corn, rice and soybeans. In recent times it is naturalizing in parts of Europe, for instance in Russia, Hungary and Romania (Clayton 1980, Partosfalvi & al. 2008, Ardelean & al. 2009, etc.). From agricultural fields it easily spreads to wetlands and locally it is considered a genuine or potential invasive species (e.g. Ciocarlan & Sike 2006, Otves & al. 2014). A future infestation of Belgian agricultural fields (especially corn) is possible. Eriochloa villosa thrives very well since its first introduction in Canada in 2000 (Simard & al. 2015).
At first sight, Eriochloa villosa looks a lot like a species of Urochloa (incl. Brachiaria) (see also Thompson & al. 1990). It is easily distinguished, however, by the presence of a beadlike swelling just below the spikelet.
Selected literature
Allison K. & Darbyshire S.Y. (2001) Identification of Eriochloa villosa in Canada. The Journal Seed Technology 23: 167-169.
Ardelean A., Karacsonyi K. & Negrean G. (2009) Eriochloa villosa - A new alien Graminaceae species for Arad County (Romania). Studia Universitatis “Vasile Goldiş”, Seria Ştiinţele Vieţii 19(2): 281-282. [available online at: http://www.studiauniversitatis.ro/pdf/19-2-2009/SU2-09Ardelean.pdf]
Ciocarlan V. & Sike M. (2006) Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth (Poaceae) in the Romanian flora. Journal of Plant Development 13: 105-107. [available online at: http://www.plant-journal.uaic.ro/docs/2006/14.pdf]
Darbyshire S., Simard M.J. & Nurse R.E. (2013) The spikelet callus of Eriochloa villosa (Poaceae). Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 7: 697-702.
Darbyshire S.J., Wilson C.E. & Allison K. (2003) The Biology of Invasive Alien Plants in Canada. 1. Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth. Can. J. Pl. Sci. 83: 987-999. [available online at: http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/P03-016]
Fărcăşescu A.M., Arsene G.-G. & Neacşu A.-G. (2007) Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth: A new species for the Banat flora. Research Journal of Agricultural Science 39(1): 483-488. [available online at: http://www.rjas.ro/volume_detail/9]
Mickelson J.A. & Harvey R.G. (1999) Effects of Eriochloa villosa density and time of emergence on growth and seed production on Zea mays. Weed Science 47(6): 687-692.
Negrean G. (2011) Addenda to “Flora Romaniae” Volumes 1-12. Newly published plants, nomenclature, taxonomy, chorology and commentaries (Part 1). Kanitzia 18: 89–194. [available online at: http://ttk.nyme.hu/blgi/Knyvek%20kiadvnyok/Kanitzia/Kanitzia_18_2012.pdf]
Otves C., Neacşu A. & Arsene G.-G. (2014) Invasive and potentially invasive plant species in wetlands area of Banat. Research Journal of Agricultural Science 46(4): 146-161. [available online at: http://www.google.be/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ua...
Partosfalvi P., Madarász J. & Dancza I. (2008) Occurrence of Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth in Hungary (in Hungarian). Növényvédelem 44(6): 297-304. [available online at: http://novenyvedelem.agroinformkiado.hu/cikkek/rovat1/az_azsiai_gyapjufu...
Rivière G., Guillévic Y. & Hoarher J. (1992) Flore et végétation du Massif Armoricain. Supplément pour le Morbihan. Erica 2: 6-78. [available online at: http://www.cbnbrest.fr/site/pdf/erica/Erica_2_1992_Flore_et_v%C3%A9g%C3%...
Ryves T.B., Clement E.J. & Foster M.C. (1996) Alien grasses of the British Isles. BSBI, London: XX + 181 p.
Sike M., Goga N. & Fritea T. (2006) Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth. (Poaceae), a new species in the Romanian flora and new weed of field crops in North-West of Romania. Analele Institutului Naţional de Cercetare-Dezvoltare Agricolă Fundulea 73: 167-171.
Simard M.J., Nurse R.E. & Darbyshire S.J. (2015) Emergence and seed production of woolly cupgrass ( Eriochloa villosa ) in legume forage crops. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 95(3): 539-548. [available online at: http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/cjps-2014-317]
Solymosi P. (2010) New adventive grass weeds in the Hungarian flora (in Hungarian). Növényvédelem 46(3): 117-120.
Szatmari P.M. (2016) Monitoring invasive woolly cupgrass "Eriochloa Villosa" in the Pir village area, Satu Mare county, Romania, and its impact on segetal flora. Acta horti botanici bucurestiensis 43: 42-55.
Szilágyi A., Balogh Z., Dávid I., Szabó L. & Radócz L. (2015) Woolly cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa /Thunb./ Kunth), a recently occured invasive weed in Trans-Tisza Region and a trial for control in maize. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Debrecen 66: 53-57. [available online at: http://www.agr.unideb.hu/acta/pub/115/woolly-cupgrass-eriochloa-villosa-...
Thompson R.A.J., Tyrl R.J. & Estes J.P. (1990) Comparative anatomy of the spikelet callus of Eriochloa, Brachiaria and Urochloa (Paneae: Paniceae:Setariinae). Amer. J. Bot. 77: 1463-1468.