Dallisgrass is a perennial bunch grass from South America that spreads by rhizomes and is widely grown as pasture but often becomes a weed or invasive pest. It is tolerant and easy to establish in lawns, pastures and disturbed ground.
Family
Poaceae (Grass family)
Grows as
Grass
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Tolerates a wide range of moisture once established, but grows best with regular water in dry spells.
Soil
Adapts to poor, acidic, wet or compacted soils; not fussy.
Temperature
Grows best in warm subtropical conditions; frost-tender tops, damaged below about -5 °C.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Native range
SE. & S. Brazil to N. Argentina
Climate
subtropical
About
Paspalum dilatatum is a species of grass known by the common name dallisgrass, Dallas grass, or sticky heads. It is native to Brazil and Argentina, but it is known throughout the world as an introduced species and at times a common weed. Its rapid growth and spreading rhizomes make it an invasive pest in some areas. It is present in the southern half of North America, southern Europe, much of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and many tropical and subtropical areas.
Paspalum dilatatum is a food source for several avian species, including the long-tailed widowbird.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Paspalum dilatatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.