Indiana Invasive Species Awareness Week: Monkey Grass (Liriope spicata)
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In honor of Indiana Invasive Species Awareness Week, we are highlighting some lesser known species that you need to be on the lookout for! These species have shown invasive tendencies but we don’t have a clear picture of their distribution in Indiana. If you see any of them growing in natural areas, be sure to report them in EDDMaps so that we can get a clearer understanding of their location and spread.
By: Dawn Slack
Liriope spicata
Common names: monkey grass / creeping liriope / lilyturf
Native Range: China, Japan and Vietnam
Rhizomatous grass-like herbaceous perennial (not a grass or lily)
Family: Asparagus family
Cultivars: Several and include Porcupine and Silver Dragon
The names associated with Liriope spicata (creeping lilyturf or monkey grass) conjure up imagines in my mind of tiny garden people working in and among the umbrella-like blades of grass; a microworld of bustling, almost secret, activity in a miniature forest that exists at ankle height. My vision was a little off because Liriope is old Greek and means mythical nymph and mother of Narcissus. Narcissus’ story is the very definition of a narcissist (one who is obsessed with themselves). Narcissus was a stunningly beautiful river nymph who died of starvation at the side of a river while he stared longingly at his own reflection. I feel like we just went full circle about life with this species and now I really want to avoid using it.
Liriope spicata (creeping lilyturf or monkey grass) is a grass-like perennial that forms clumps comprised of narrow, arching, dark-green leaves up to ¼ inch wide. This species can grow up to 15 inches tall and its flower, which may not exceed the leaves, is an erect spike that blooms in late summer and produces small pale lavender or white flowers. The fruits, purplish black berries, appear in fall. This species is typically evergreen in the south, but leaves turn brown in the winter in more northern areas. There are several variegated species of creeping lilyturf sold. The species is a common landscape species and is typically used as a ground cover or edging plant in rock gardens, woodland gardens, or in containers.
Creeping lilyturf is acaulescent (there is no true stem and for the most part the leaves arise from a central point next to the ground) and spreads aggressively by underground rhizomes. It forms dense mats and is on the state invasive species list in Tennessee and Georgia. Additionally, it is considered invasive in North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and southern Illinois. It has been observed spreading into natural areas in Indiana. Its dense mat forming habit can crowd out native species. As these aggressive non-native plants take over, our natural areas experience a decline of native plants; decreased populations or in some cases a loss of a native species. If we lose native plants, we also lose wildlife that rely on those native plants to complete their life cycles. Think insect loss.
There are several Liriope species used in landscaping and creeping lilyturf is often confused with Liriope muscari (native range: China, Taiwan, and Japan) which is called big blue monkey grass, big blue liriope and big blue lilyturf. L. muscari grows to 18 inches tall and has leaves up to an inch wide. L. muscari does spread as aggressively as L. spicata since it slowly expands by short stolons.
We encourage you to try the following native alternatives that somewhat resemble these two Liriope species: Carex jamesii, C. laxiculmis, C. blanda, C. laxiflora, and C. grisea. In addition, small areas may be suitable for Sisyrinchium angustifolium or S. albidum, blue-eyed grass species. S. angustifolium is more common in the middle to southern part of Indiana, while S. albidum is more common in the northern part of the state.
Creeping lilyturf certainly adds structure and perhaps curbside appeal to formalized landscaping, but as with any invasive species it causes harm when it escapes (outcompetes native plants that are food or host plants for wildlife). We have an opportunity to make our gardens centers of life by choosing native plants or we can choose the opposite by using plants that are not part of our natural systems. We have so much natural diversity in Indiana, so much to be proud of and enjoy and celebrate and so much to lose if we continue to use invasive plants in our landscapes. I hope you will join us, celebrate with us and help those you know do the same. Share the good news that comes with using natives in our landscape. We don’t want our insects, birds, salamanders and other wildlife to end up starving because we choose plants that even though beautiful are simply not part of our natural systems.
If you find monkey grass outside of a landscape setting, please report it via EddMaps either through the app or their website: www.eddmaps.org/indiana. The clusters of yellow flowers are hard to miss so be sure to keep an eye out in June and July! We need to have a better understanding of its invasive tendencies, so if you see it, report it!
If you have been wanting to use EDDMaps but haven’t had the chance to learn, here is a virtual event coming up to hone your skills:
North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA): 2022 EDDMapS Summit, March 23rd
References and for more information on monkey grass:
https://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/subject.html?sub=11562
https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/assessments/liriope-spicata/
https://www.eddmaps.org/species/subject.cfm?sub=11562
http://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/FHTET-2017-05_New%20Invaders_SE.pdf
https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=LISP10
Photo credits:
"Lilyturf Liriope spicata Patch 3008px" Photo by and (c)2008 Derek Ramsey Licensed under GNU Free Documentation License 1.2 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org
Liriope spicata in flower: “Liriope spicata 08 3287” by Bruce Kirchoff, Creative Commons attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr.com
Foliage and individual plant: Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org
Distribution map Courtesy of EDDMapS. 2021. Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System. The University of Georgia -Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Available online at https://www.eddmaps.org/species/subject.cfm?sub=11562