African feather grass (Cenchrus macrourus)

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African feather grass is a highly invasive clump-forming perennial grass. It has the ability to spread rapidly and form dense infestations that completely eliminate all other plants.

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How does this weed affect you?

African feather grass grows quickly and can form dense infestations. It can:

reduce pasture quality
can limit livestock access to waterways
increase fuel loads and become a fire hazard
outcompete native plants
reduce food and shelter for native animals.

What does it look like?

African feather grass is a densly tufted perennial grass up to 2 m tall.

Leaves are:

mostly light green, darker green towards the stem
sometimes purplish along the edges and tips
4 - 12 mm wide and up to 1.5 m long
curled at the tip
curved up slightly along the edges
ribbed on the upper surface
finely serrated at the edges
sometimes drooping
rolled up when young.

Flowerheads are:

purplish yellow or brown
clustered in an erect or drooping long thin spike
cylindrical 8 - 30 cm long and 1-2 cm diameter
made up of numerous florets that are 5 to 7 mm long and surrounded by feather-like serrated bristles mostly to 1 cm long.

Seeds are:

spiky
more showy than the flowers
seen most in February - March.

Stems are:

erect
unbranched
cylindrical
hairless.

Roots are:

fibrous
up to 1m deep

Rhizomes, a type of stem that runs just under the surface, are up to 2 m long and about 7 mm wide. The rhizomes are partly enclosed in a sheath and grow from just below the soil surface to a depth of 30 cm.

Where is it found?

In NSW, isolated infestations have been found in the South East, Riverina, Central Tablelands, Central West Hunter and North West.

African feather grass is native to South Africa.

What type of environment does it grow in?

African feather grass mostly grows in warm temperate regions with annual rainfall over 600 mm per year. It prefers moist, well drained, non-compacted soils. Mature plants are drought hardy. It is often found:

on the banks of waterways
in poor pastures
in disturbed sites such as roadsides.

How does it spread?

The plant spread by people who used the plant for dried flower arrangements and for ornamental purposes in landscaping.

By seed

Flowering takes place in late spring and summer with seeds maturing in February and March. African feather grass can spread by seed but seedlings are rarely found in the field. The bristles on the seeds attach to wool, fur or clothing and are moved by animals or people. Seeds can move down streams with water flow. Wind can also move the seeds.

By plant parts

Most spread is by rhizomes which grow rapidly in spring and summer, depending largely on available moisture. The rhizome develops new roots and shoots away from the parent plant, and areas can be rapidly covered in African feather grass. Plants become dormant in winter, with new shoots being produced from rhizomes and crowns each spring. Rhizomes are spread by cultivation equipment, road graders and other machinery.

References

Hosking, J. R., Sainty, G., Jacobs, S. and Dellow, J. (in prep) The Australian WEEDbook.

Parsons, W.T. and Cuthbertson. E.G. (2001). Noxious Weeds of Australia 2nd ed., CSIRO publishing.

PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System). Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. Retrieved 12 March 2020 from: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Cenchrus~macrourus

More information

Control

Successful weed control requires follow up after the initial efforts. This means looking for and killing regrowth or new seedlings. Using a combination of control methods is usually more successful.

To manage African feather grass:

maintain dense pastures
control plants prior to seed set where possible
repeat treatments because plants will regrow from rhizomes
keep checking treated areas and surroundings for regrowth and new seedlings.

Cultivation

Cultivation can suppress African feather grass. Manually remove as many rhizomes as possible after cultivation. Repeated cultivation and rhizome removal may be required to eliminate this weed. Clean cultivation equipment after use near African feather grass.

Chemical control

Spot spray

Spray actively growing weeds. Cover all of the foliage evenly.

Boom spray

Suitable for large areas of weeds in pastures. Check the labels for the volume per hectare.

Wiper

Wipers or wands apply herbicide directly onto leaves. This can better target the chemical and minimise damage to other species.

For machinery mounted wipers, ensure weeds are at least 15 cm above species to be retained. Apply when weeds are actively growing. To avoid damage to desirable species; heavily graze prior to application. In ungrazed areas, slash or burn and allow for regrowth to target weeds species. If possible conduct two passes in opposite directions to obtain sufficient coverage of weed foliage. Ground speed should not exceed 8 km/hr. Where possible, calibrate application so that wiper remains moist but does not drip excessively, and a continuous patch of weeds does not receive more than the amount of herbicide that would be applied using a broadacre treatment.

Herbicide options

WARNING - ALWAYS READ THE LABEL
Users of agricultural or veterinary chemical products must always read the label and any permit, before using the product, and strictly comply with the directions on the label and the conditions of any permit. Users are not absolved from compliance with the directions on the label or the conditions of the permit by reason of any statement made or not made in this information. To view permits or product labels go to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority website www.apvma.gov.au

See Using herbicides for more information.

PERMIT 9792 Expires 31/12/2030
Flupropanate 745 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 3 L per ha
Comments: Boom spray for selective broadacre control. See permit for critical use comments.
Withholding period: Spot spray: Do NOT graze or cut for stock feed for at least 14 days. Blanket spray: Do NOT graze, or cut for stock feed for at least 4 months. If stock are grazed in treated areas after required time has passed, remove stock from treated areas and do NOT slaughter or milk for human consumption until they have been on clean feed for at least 14 days.
Herbicide group: 15 (previously group J), Inhibition of very long chain fatty acid synthesis (VLCFA inhibitors)
Resistance risk: Moderate

PERMIT 9792 Expires 31/12/2030
Flupropanate 745 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 300 mL in 100 L of water
Comments: Spot spray. See permit for critical use comments.
Withholding period: Spot spray: Do NOT graze or cut for stock feed for at least 14 days. Blanket spray: Do NOT graze, or cut for stock feed for at least 4 months. If stock are grazed in treated areas after required time has passed, remove stock from treated areas and do NOT slaughter or milk for human consumption until they have been on clean feed for at least 14 days.
Herbicide group: 15 (previously group J), Inhibition of very long chain fatty acid synthesis (VLCFA inhibitors)
Resistance risk: Moderate

PERMIT 9792 Expires 31/12/2030
Flupropanate 745 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 500 mL in 10 L of water
Comments: Wiper application. See permit for critical use comments.
Withholding period: Spot spray: Do NOT graze or cut for stock feed for at least 14 days. Blanket spray: Do NOT graze, or cut for stock feed for at least 4 months. If stock are grazed in treated areas after required time has passed, remove stock from treated areas and do NOT slaughter or milk for human consumption until they have been on clean feed for at least 14 days.
Herbicide group: 15 (previously group J), Inhibition of very long chain fatty acid synthesis (VLCFA inhibitors)
Resistance risk: Moderate

PERMIT 9792 Expires 31/12/2030
Glyphosate 360 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 6 L per ha
Comments: Boom spray for non-selective broadacre control. See permit for critical use comments.
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 9 (previously group M), Inhibition of 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3 phosphate synthase (EPSP inhibition)
Resistance risk: Moderate

PERMIT 9792 Expires 31/12/2030
Glyphosate 360 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 1 L in 100 L of water
Comments: Spot spray. See permit for critical use comments.
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 9 (previously group M), Inhibition of 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3 phosphate synthase (EPSP inhibition)
Resistance risk: Moderate

PERMIT 9792 Expires 31/12/2030
Glyphosate 360 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 3.3 L in 10 L of water
Comments: Wiper application. See permit for critical use comments.
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 9 (previously group M), Inhibition of 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3 phosphate synthase (EPSP inhibition)
Resistance risk: Moderate

Biosecurity duty

The content provided here is for information purposes only and is taken from the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 and its subordinate legislation, and the Regional Strategic Weed Management Plans (published by each Local Land Services region in NSW). It describes the state and regional priorities for weeds in New South Wales, Australia.

Area	Duty
All of NSW	General Biosecurity Duty All pest plants are regulated with a general biosecurity duty to prevent, eliminate or minimise any biosecurity risk they may pose. Any person who deals with any plant, who knows (or ought to know) of any biosecurity risk, has a duty to ensure the risk is prevented, eliminated or minimised, so far as is reasonably practicable.

For technical advice and assistance with identification please contact your local council weeds officer.

Reviewed 2025