Panicum repens L.

More info for the terms: geophyte, rhizome, root crown

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [95]:
Surface rhizome and/or a chamaephytic root crown in organic soil or on soil surface
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Geophyte, growing points deep in soil

Livestock: It was once used for cattle in the 1920s and is resistant to grazing and trampling; however, better forages are now available that has higher quality and does not create the potential weed problems that torpedo grass did.

Wildlife: Waterfowl and songbirds regularly use torpedo grass. It is an excellent forage plant for several mammals.

Erosion Control: Torpedo grass is recommended for the use of shoreline stabilization. It may be used in

areas that have periods of both inundation as well as drought.

Conservation Practices: Torpedo grass, because of its growth habit, potentially has application when established with certain conservation practices; however, conservation practice standards vary by state. For localized information, consult your local NRCS Field Office.

Torpedograss is native to both the Old and New Worlds [44], with reported sources of origin including southern Europe [105], the Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula, Israel [29], northern [29], tropical, and southern Africa [29,105], Argentina [29], and Australia [29,109].

Torpedograss was introduced to the Gulf Coast of the United States sometime prior to 1876, when it was first collected in Alabama [65]. It was introduced in seed for forage crops [65,69]. Seed may also have been transported via ballast from sailing vessels carrying lumber from the Mediterranean [109]. In the early 1900s the United States Department of Agriculture imported and distributed torpedograss seed to provide forage for cattle [69]. By 1950, it was planted in nearly every southern Florida county and in a few central and north-central counties [65]. It subsequently escaped cultivation [29].

As of this writing (2011), torpedograss occurs in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world from latitude 35 °S to 43 °N [49]. In the United States, the distribution of torpedograss is limited to the southern Atlantic coast from North Carolina south and west to Texas, and isolated populations in California and Hawaii [58]. It also occurs in Mexico [11]. Plants Database provides a distributional map of torpedograss.

More info for the terms: rhizome, wildfire

Immediate fire effect on plant: Managers report that torpedograss is often top-killed by fire, but belowground rhizomes usually survive ([7], personal communication [6]). Rhizome mortality may occur when heat from fire penetrates deep into the soil, soil conditions are unusually dry [7], or soils are shallow [98]. As of this writing (2011), it is not known whether torpedograss seeds survive fire.